Daily Infographic

Posted by on Jan 15, 2014 in Inspiration | No Comments

Daily Infographic
It seems everyone is using infographics these days, and it’s no wonder. Combining simple graphics with limited text to convey a concept can increase the chances that your message will be understood. This use of graphics has been around for a long time — from Egyptian hieroglyphs to a company’s annual report or PowerPoint presentation. However, lately there has been more effort put into making the data in charts, graphs and tables aesthetically appealing and accessible to a wider range of people.

Yesterday, one of my favorite sites, Daily Infographics posted their Top 10 Infographics of 2013. Each day, this site features a new informational graphic from the internet that attracted their attention. It’s a great place to get design ideas and learn more about the wide variety of topics covered in infographics.

Brussel SproutsIn looking at their favorite infographic from last year, “Pairing Wine & Food“, I can see that it will probably be difficult to find a good wine to pair with my Brussel sprouts tonight at dinner. Disaster averted!

Pantone Color of the Year for 2013

Posted by on Dec 12, 2012 in Inspiration | No Comments
Pantone Color of the Year

PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald

Last Friday, Pantone announced it’s Color of the Year for 2013 is PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald.

“Green is the most abundant hue in nature – the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.”

As a designer, last year’s color choice PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango did not influence my graphic or web design work. While it’s a perfectly delightful color, it felt very retro and just didn’t fit into any of my designs. Will this year’s color influence my designs? Maybe. I’ve always loved green and I’m currently working on several projects with green.

Read more about this year’s color choice at panatone.com.

By the way, apparently Pantone also picks “Color of the day” but I’m not following these picks.

The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies

Posted by on Jul 4, 2012 in Inspiration | 2 Comments

Proportion WheelOkay, I’ll admit it. I’ve been a designer long enough to remember using Pantone Markers to create marker comps, type gauges for “type specking”, waxers for pasteup, and Photostat cameras instead of Photoshop.

I don’t miss it — cuts from X-acto blades, clogged Rapidographs, exposure to toxic chemicals, etc. But for those with a fondness for the “good old days” or anyone who wants to take a look back at the tools and processes that were once used daily by graphic designers, a visit to The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies will be amusing and interesting.

Ironically I found a use for my old proportion wheel a few months ago. A problem came up while putting a student art show online at my job. In order to photograph without glare from the camera flash and overhead lights, the artwork was photographed at an angle, causing distortion. I was able to use my ‘ancient’ proportion wheel to determine the artwork’s final size, enabling me to transform the images to their actual proportions with Photoshop.