It’s normally taken as an article of faith that you should use ligatures in text whenever you can. Like most articles of faith, though, this one too comes with an asterisk. In practice, the importance of ligatures is measured on a sliding scale from mandatory down to undesirable.
I generally consider 12 images to be the minimum necessary to constitute a weekly “theme” here at Scanning Around With Gene, though I will admit to applying the word “theme” pretty loosely a couple of times over the years. But mostly I hold certain images until I gather enough to do the topic justice – in many cases I actually end up with quite a few more images than I can (or should) run.
Quark Inc. was founded more than 30 years ago, and their flagship product QuarkXPress was released more than 25 years ago. In recent years, many graphic designers have switched to Adobe’s InDesign for their page layout needs, but both Quark and QuarkXPress have continued to develop and thrive — especially in the publishing markets (both small and enterprise level).
Each installment “Around the World in ePublishing” looks at a different digital publication—sometimes an ebook, sometimes an e-textbook, sometimes a digital magazine or catalog. With each publication we’ll examine the techniques and technologies used, the good and bad choices the designer and publisher made, and sometimes even how to incorporate the same features and effects into your own publications.
I was waiting in line at the checkout counter of the local supermarket the other day and couldn’t help but notice the latest issue of Men’s Health magazine with a picture of some buff guy and a headline promising I could look like him in just a few short weeks. And, judging from the other headlines, I’d say that sex and body image are important topics to the male buyers of that particular magazine.
Q. How does font size affect its spacing?
A. In the most recent TypeTalk, we discussed how not all typefaces are suitable for both large and small sizes from a design perspective. But for the ones that can go from text to display (or vice versa) there is one characteristic that can usually benefit from some tweaking – and that is the spacing.
Looking for hues and kisses of inspiration? Craving color comraderie? Looking to break old patterns by creating and sharing new ones?
My nephew Luc has been having trouble figuring out exactly what he wants to do for a career, and recently signed up for a program to study being a diesel mechanic. This got me to thinking about all those ads I’d seen in men’s magazines from the Forties and Fifties, promoting various careers all promising big money and personal fulfillment. I sincerely hope the diesel thing works out for Luc – he’s a good kid who deserves a rewarding line of work.
Sharing links is a big part of what makes Facebook’s social media world go ‘round. If you’re an active Facebooker, you may take pride in curating a steady stream of entertaining, informative, and thought-provoking articles, blog posts, and videos to share with your audience — in addition to sharing links to your own creative work from time to time.
Holiday gift giving time is here and the clock is ticking. If you have a creative professional on your shopping list, you’ll want to read our holiday gift guide. We’ve put together a collection of gifts that includes cameras, games, jewelry, and posters for the designers in your life. And it never hurts to get something for yourself, too. Here we go!
