Keeping up with trends in graphic design skills, software and thought keeps me busy and up late lots of nights. For example, one evening I watched two videos from the recent O'Reilly Tools of Change Conference. LeVar Burton gave a great keynote on the power of story as a motivator for reading (and learning). A great reminder why those of us in publishing do what we do. And, a renewed call to use the technologies at our disposal to take the power of story to the next generation of readers in print, web, and mobile devices.
Two of my favorite podcasts are InDesign Secrets and Photoshop User TV. I'm back to listening and viewing them. The knowledge shared by these creatives is invaluable for any designer who wants to grow his or her business. The contests they have are fun too. Helpful links on their websites takes you to other resources that, properly digested, help you take your design game to a new level.
Blogs such as the ones listed on the right side of this page are great for inspiration and information. It's pretty amazing that a designer in the Chicago area can be inspired by someone in another city, state, or continent. Pages that I have bookmarked include Graphic Design Blender, HOW Design, and Planet Quark.
A few years back I attended a Photoshop User seminar hosted by Scott Kelby's team. We received a goodies CD that I recently found and invested a few evening in revisiting the contents. What a neat treasure trove of inspiration and photos, brushes, and textures! I appreciate it more now that I'm a tad older.
An example of a project I worked on was for a series of illustrations that show the process of creating an article for The World Book Encyclopedia. Here is a portion of the full page.
Speaking of late, time for me to catch a couple of 'zz's! So much to learn, only 24 hours in a day!
Two of my favorite podcasts are InDesign Secrets and Photoshop User TV. I'm back to listening and viewing them. The knowledge shared by these creatives is invaluable for any designer who wants to grow his or her business. The contests they have are fun too. Helpful links on their websites takes you to other resources that, properly digested, help you take your design game to a new level.
Blogs such as the ones listed on the right side of this page are great for inspiration and information. It's pretty amazing that a designer in the Chicago area can be inspired by someone in another city, state, or continent. Pages that I have bookmarked include Graphic Design Blender, HOW Design, and Planet Quark.
A few years back I attended a Photoshop User seminar hosted by Scott Kelby's team. We received a goodies CD that I recently found and invested a few evening in revisiting the contents. What a neat treasure trove of inspiration and photos, brushes, and textures! I appreciate it more now that I'm a tad older.
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| One of several movie files on the CD |
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| Royalty-free texture graphic. © sapphire-innovations |
An example of a project I worked on was for a series of illustrations that show the process of creating an article for The World Book Encyclopedia. Here is a portion of the full page.
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| From 'Encyclopedia' article, The World Book Encyclopedia. Illustrations by Jay Bensen. © World Book Inc. Used with permission. |
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