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Create Awesome Post-It Note Art with Photoshop

Gerard Harris — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:30:04 +0000

Earlier this year, the full force of post-it note art broke with some of the most amazing visualizations ranging from Super Mario and Kirby to Elvis Presley and Ray Charles. However, where do you start if you want to get involved yourself? If you’ve got a design package like Adobe Photoshop with a grid function, the whole process is actually quite straightforward to design, leaving you with a simple, but time consuming, job of just following your design when you start sticking post-it notes to the wall.

Below is the process you need to follow to use Adobe Photoshop to design your own post-it note picture.

The first thing to do is to measure your workspace, whether it’s a wall, ceiling or window and work out how many post-it notes it would take to fill the space by simply dividing the total space by the size of an individual note.

Once this is done, you need to turn on the grid function (select View, Show and check Grid, or pres Control apostrophe) and create a canvas size that matches the dimensions of post-it notes that you need for the collage to the squares in the grid.

The next step is to either sketch out your overall design, or import an image for the design into Photoshop and expand it to fill the canvas size you’ve selected. With Snap To Grid on (select View, Show, Snap To and Grid) use the Eyedropper Tool to select the main colour in the background of each square, then use the Rectangular Marque Tool to select the grid square and use Paint Brush Tool to fill it in. Repeat this process until every square on your canvas is covered.

You’ll notice the 8-bit change in the design pretty quickly and get a feel for any manual changes you might need to make to keep it looking good.

Now that you have your design in place, it’s simply a case of matching the post-it notes on your work surface to the squares on the Photoshop canvas. Before you know it, you’ve finished your first ever post-it note art.

How to Stay Inspired as a Logo Designer

Roxanne Peterson — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:55:54 +0000

Whether you decide to work from home, as a freelancer or even as a part of some creative team, your achievement as a Logo Designer centers upon one thing and that is, your creativity. In order to maintain the ideas to be new, prompt and continuing, you must take care of your inspiration levels. When you feel the pressure of work, it can get very difficult to stay motivated, but with control, time and concentration towards your work, you can help avert your motivation from drying up.

Logically, each person has their personal way of working, and you must always make it a point to listen to yourself as far as finding out how to continue the flow of your creative juices. Here are a few opinions and suggestions that might help you on your way.

Try something new

Sometimes you might feel as if you have been constantly working on similar projects. If you feel bored and think it’s getting monotonous, try adding up something new to your project. There are many new applications and tools being developed and they can be put to use while working on your new project. By trying the new applications, you not only build up new skills but also dare yourself to become skilled at something new, which make the project look different from the rest.

Create your space

You also need a space to work where you feel comfortable, protected and stimulated to do your best work. It may include having your own desk space and also making your own office at home that will be arranged according to your tastes. Plan and build an environment that is beneficial for your creative ideas.

It is also significant to set deadlines and targets for the work, but make sure to keep them realistic. One of the most frequent reasons why projects fail or is when one ends up biting more than he can chew. Keep your goals feasible.

Find your flow

Each one of us have various working patterns. Some might feel that working early mornings are more beneficial while the others might prefer working late in the night to find peace and to bring in more creativity. Give yourself the tome to understand what you like doing and what time suits you the best.

Do your homework

Gather as much information as you can before you start working on any project. Learn and understand as much as you can, and then work on your project by inculcating the ideas. Make sure not to copy anything that is already being done. Think and check before you submit your work.

Escape the office

A nine-to-five working schedule might demoralize you and makes you feel bored and blunt. So maybe you can opt for things that will keep you energized even while you are stuck in those fixed working hours. Take a stroll or just go out to feel reignited. Just come back when you think you are refreshed and can work with a free mind!

Ignore your peers

This might sound notorious, but if you are somebody who is for all time matching yourself to the others around you, then try keeping them out of the project and your work place. Focus on your work, your priority and your thoughts. It is however not suggested that you completely overlook the work of others but if you can give yourself the ample space to think without being hampered by the success of the other Logo designers in the back of your mind you will find it easier to focus on your own development.

Meet your peers

The reverse to the above mentioned point is to make use of your colleague logo designers and take inspiration from what they can offer. It can be useful to talk to fellow designers who have gone through similar highs and lows of life in the imaginative industries. Keep in mind their coping up techniques, use new work opportunity and get occupied in your design scene.

Keep your tools at hand

Always carry your sketchbook, smart phone or even scrapbook with yourself to collect and keep a note of the random thoughts and musings as they happen in your mind. Often these golden nuggets can thrive into some of your best work. So make sure you have something to keep note of the innovative ideas that cross your mind through the day!

These are the few ways how you can keep your interest into Logo designing intact. Whether it’s a gallery, a play or a gig, take each chance to widen your horizons by attending various cultural events. Inspiration hits a high when you are developing new ideas, so improve your imagination-bank with loads of stimulating activities.

Must See: Famous Logos and Icons in Pure CSS

Zachary Brown — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:42:19 +0000

There are some incredible things happening with CSS these days, and I think I found my favorite. Check it out:

And this one:

These awesome logos (along with tons of others. See: the post thumbnail) are being created in pure CSS over at ECSSpert. So far there are designs for Twitter, Adidas, Adobe, an awesome animated Atari, and well… just go look for yourselves.

Speaking of increible CSS achievements, check out these 3 links to be in even further awe:

Apple iOS Icons in CSS

iPhone in CSS

Opera Logo in CSS

Note: you might want to view these using Safari or Chrome, though Firefox is OK, too. Don’t even bother if you are using IE. Sorry, IE peeps (though you were probably just going to go look at the Windows icon and leave, anyway).

Got any others?

Post them in the comments so everyone can see. No use in keeping incredible stuff like this under wraps!

30 Brilliantly Blue Themed Images

Andy Boyd — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:33:33 +0000

Blue is a mysterious colour with a wide range of positive and negative connotations. In English, the word blue is synonymous with sadness while in German blue means drunk. On the other hand, blue skies are associated with happiness and good times, and people pay thousands of dollars each year in search of a bright, blue seas in which to frolic. Below, you’ll find 30 spectacular blue images capturing what you might expect, like the sky and the ocean, and what you might not, like eggs, sneakers and wildlife.

1. Blue-Berry (Tony Eccles)

Captured using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, I bet you’ve never seen a blue-berry like this before!

2. Blue (Baxton)

This Bravehearted young man was snapped during a UVA vs. UConn game at Scott Stadium.

3. Blue Impact (Greg Foster)

Materials used in producing this shot included a 25 cent wine glass, a sheet of white matte paper, black poster board, pink lemonade and Photoshop, to turn the pink lemonade blue.

4. Eyes Too Expressive to be Blue (Nattu)

There’s such intense clarity in this shot of a sun-dappled bay.

5. Lots of Blue Eggs (Mario)

Blue eggs are often hard to come by, unless you live in Xi’an, China, which is where this photograph was taken with a Canon PowerShot G5.

6. Blue Rose Macro (Dino Abatzidis)

Blue roses don’t exist in nature, unless they’re artificially died. This particular flower has too much of a velvety texture to have been treated in this way, so I suspect a Photoshop inversion.

7. Blue! (Tambako the Jaguar)

A stunning shot of a dangerous, but very beautiful poison dart frog.

8. The Azure Blue Indoor Pool at Hearst Castle (Trey Ratcliff)

Almost everything you need to know about this shot is in the title, but where is Hearst Castle? On the Central Coast of California, USA.

9. Blue Power! (Eole Wind)

More power to those people who choose to stand out from the crowd by wearing shiny blue sneakers like these!

10. When the Stars Go Blue (Juc De Leeuw)

It’s a little grainy, but if anything that adds to this composition, mirroring the texture of the marbles which dominate the image.

11. The Wind Blue (Mark Boucher)

This shot shows the White Sands National Park in Mexico, but the sands look more blue than white in this photograph.

12. Accentuate BLUE (Scott Kinmartin)

A little cheesy, I know, but I couldn’t resist including these two cuties in the list.

13. Autumn Poem (Denis Collette)

A dark blue reflection coming off a river in Pont Roude, Quebec, on a dark, Autumnal day.

14. Blue Door (Stephen Pougas)

The colour of this Greek, painted door perfectly matches the sky.

15. Red and Blue? (Tony Hammond)

Vivid colours transform this image of three pallets into a fascinating composition.

16. Ice Blue (Matt Reinhold)

There’s a real depth to the blue colour in this image, which shows ice floating in a blue cup of Blue Birch Beer.

17. Water Blue (Chez Andre 1)

The colour blue totally dominates the entire landscape, from the water to the boats in the foreground and the mountains in the distance.

18. Deep Blue Sea (Wall) (Christine Vaufrey)

You’ve got to love the tactile, blue texture in this image of a weathered sea wall.

19. Blue Rail (Evan Leeson)

An awesome HDR focusing on a simple, slightly corroded, blue rail on a pier in Seschelt, British Columbia.

20. Happy Monday Blues (Ute Hagen)

There’s nothing better than a frothy coffee on a Monday morning. This image perfectly captures this sentiment.

21. Blue (Saxon)

Look familiar? Thought so. Many of us spend the lion’s share of our working lives staring at something very much like this.

22. Blue to Dye For (Grant MacDonald)

This gorgeous HDR turns a run down old garage into something spectacular.

23. Blue Crabs (JJ)

Fighting each other like crabs in a bucket, it’s the flashes of blue which make this image really stand out.

24. Spaceman Blue: Relax (Helico)

Had to include this one just for fun. What better way to relax than by reclining on a giant daisy.

25. Dark Blue Sky (Ako)

Not much going on here, but the colours in this photograph of a blue sky are remarkable thanks to the horizontal motion blur.

26. Blue Boy (Shane Gorski)

Baby blue and pink is a winning combination, especially when painted onto a hot rod.

27. Red or Blue? (Tambako the Jaguar)

A straightforward, yet eye-catching image. Never has a photograph of nine matches looked so good.

28. Blue Door Blue Window (Thomas Hawk)

An absolutely perfect snap of a blue wall. The shadows around the door work so well.

29. Blue Goo (Photobunny)

There’s something so satisfying about this image, which shows a chubby blob of blue acrylic paint.

30. Girl Wearing Blue Holding Blueberries (D Sharon Pruitt)

There’s plenty of blue going on here: blue clothing, blue nail varnish and, of course, blue berries.

Amazingly Creative Online Store Designs

Tara Hornor — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:35:18 +0000

We’ve all seen the standard e-store layout: a wall of product mini-photos and brief descriptions. But recent research indicates that if shoppers are exposed to too many options they freeze, hesitate, and move on without purchasing. So maybe store designs need to open up a bit and present their products with bigger pictures and more description. The result would be fewer items on the page, but a lot more information visually and textually for the product itself.

This collection of websites demonstrates just how this might look. The designs have far fewer products, but the images are large and vibrant, plus the descriptions are often more detailed.