The new iTunes 10 icon is a strange move for Apple, in that it is really quite bad. I tried to like it and failed; it turns out that many people are experiencing the same feelings as me, including my friend James, who challenged me to make an alternative icon. So here it is (my first one ever).
I know, everyone seems to be doing it and mine isn’t the most original (I’ve since learned), but there is a PSD source file for you to mutilate or beautify (feel free to email me anything nice you may create from it).
Download.zip(contains icons for Mac & Windows, PNG and PSD)
I’m currently working on the design for a game which needs a cityscape background (more on that another time), so when I came across this collection of pixelated cityscapes, I was inspired.
The problem with project bidding sites is that it forces designers to bid and compete on projects where the end result is usually one where the cheapest offer will win. This undermines the design industry and promotes the false assumption that cheap design is ‘just as good’ or that it isn’t really worth paying good money for.
I’d argue that design is just as worthy, if not more so, than anything else a company or client may pay for during a project. It is becoming increasingly more important; consumers are more design conscious than ever before and a good design will stand out and communicate effectively to their target audience. It can make or break a product, depending on the quality, which is why it is perplexing to see some people seriously underestimate its power (and thus, its worthiness).
Design is the blending of art and science, creating an aesthetic end-result that works and attracts attention; it is a marketing tool as much as it is a public relations tool, it is the persona of the project or company and ultimately it shapes how customers perceive that project/company. If someone is offering absurdly cheap design services then there is probably a reason for that and I seriously doubt it is because they are a successful designer (though it doesn’t always mean they’re not a good one).
The moral isn’t that the bidding sites are a flawed idea, but some of the people using them to find designers aren’t really clued in to how important design is. The thing to learn is that cost isn’t (or at least, shouldn’t be) the only factor to consider.
P.S. I do not regard competition sites to be bidding sites (because they’re not).
I downloaded David Jones’ Beautipedia extension for Safari (which turns Wikipedia into a more readable and attractive site). However I found it a bit ‘clunky’ so I edited the style-sheet and cleaned it up, making it lighter and more subtle as well as introducing line spacing and more.
Update: After speaking with David Jones, he gave me permission to publish ‘Beautipedia (Modified)’, you can download it below (and it will update when a new version comes out, since I intend to keep it updated).
Designer Ty Lettau has recreated some of the most famous and iconic classic album covers and made them his own by using a minimalist style and focusing on the iconography.
A collection of superb London Underground posters from around 1959, discovered this year at Notting Hill Gate Tube Station. These posters are not accessible to the public. You can see them on the Flickr.
Kevin Gotkovsky is a french graphic designer with a very interesting illustrative style. Using texture, bold shapes and composition, he manages to create some intriguing works that have style and a child-like charm.
If you have ever played modern platform/adventure games like Loco Roco or Rolando, then you’ll identify with a lot of what Kevin does.
You can see more works in his French Idioms series on the french creative blog, I believe in creativity.
Lobulo Design have managed to form a unique art style which involves creating vibrant illustrations through a paper-cut technique. It is well worth looking on their website for more of their illustrations. They look very modern and positive, even though the subject matter may be quite dark at times.
