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Time Wasters Ahead
Everybody — including creativepro.com — is always telling you how to be more efficient, right?
But don't you sometimes want to say to hell with efficiency and mess around with something that
has no redeeming value?
If so, check out these links:
- Firstborn Multimedia's TYPEflake: Create a snowflake made from your words, your choice of typeface, and your choice of colors.
- Cake Writing Generator: Enter up to two lines of text, click the Icing button, and your message appears as decoration on a frosted cake.
- Typotheque's DanceWriter: Type in a message and watch the dancer form each letter.
And now, I give you permission to take the rest of the day off — after you finish this newsletter, of course.
— Terri Stone, editor in chief
Capture Attention with Archetypes
If you want your designs to rise above today's constant barrage of information, read Shaun Crowley's article
on archetypes. This psychological theory helps you engage your target audience at a deeper level.
"Advertising that reaches out to an archetypal need is often the most persuasive, whether you're selling calculators
to bankers or toilet tissue to homemakers. As a designer, you need to know which archetype your client's product
relates to, and subtly integrate that knowledge into your design approach."
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/26108.html
Do you need to better understand your client or product before you can understand the relevant archetypes?
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/26019.html
Photoshop How-to: Viva Las Vegas!
Russell Brown demonstrates how to change old, lifeless neon into a sign that shines a night.
"The neon will be drawn with a Paths tool. I'm going to click, and click again, and click and drag as I move around the edges of my neon."
http://www.creativepro.com/story/howto/26117.html
Here's a very different result you can get from the Paths tool:
http://www.creativepro.com/story/howto/23684.html
Get Creative Videocast
This week, Shellie Hall rounds up software news, training DVD discounts, a Photoshop contest, five cool Web sites, and upcoming events.
"Here we are at the Vector Magic site. Once I upload my photo, I choose High as the level of detail, then the site vectorizes my image.
Let's zoom in on it — look at all those vectors!"
http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/26123.html
Have you missed any Get Creative videocasts? Don't fret — just go to our video library.
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/26071.html
TypeTalk: A Font Feast
Ilene Strizver dishes up the best ways to handle scaling surprises, edit PDFs, use all the fonts in a family,
and decipher weird editor scribbles on your layout.
"Using Acrobat's TouchUp Text tool, you can make text edits if you have the proper font installed and activated,
and the text hasn't been converted to outline. I don't recommend major copyediting because Acrobat's text reflow
ability is limited. In other words, fixing typos is fine; rewriting an entire paragraph is best done in the original application."
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/26122.html
Hungry for more?
http://www.creativepro.com/author/home/1539.html
Two Apps Are Better than One
Chad Neuman's easy how-to combines Illustrator and Photoshop to create unique background effects that make any photo pop.
"In the Layers palette, click-and-drag the new layer, which has the pasted shape from Illustrator below the original layer.
There should now be two layers, one that has the image and one that has the shape pasted from Illustrator. Position the cursor
between the two layers in the Layers palette, hold down Opt/Alt, and a circle icon will appear. Click to make a clipping mask."
http://www.creativepro.com/story/howto/25511.html
Look here for image inspiration:
http://www.creativepro.com/category/howto/227.html
Rearview Mirror: 20-20 Hindsight
Insider Software extends auto-activation in FontAgent Pro
http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/26115.html
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onOne Software announces availability of PhotoTools
http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/26114.html
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PhotoShelter Inc. launches the PhotoShelter Collection
http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/26109.html
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Adobe calls for entries for 2008 Adobe Design Achievement Awards
http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/26104.html
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Apple releases Final Cut Express 4
http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/26116.html
Wacky Web Site of the Week
Can I have some!?
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/23661.html
If you've read this far, you definitely need to sign up for our daily newsletter. It's in your inbox every morning with your update to today's latest happenings at creativepro.com.
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