designgeek

Introducing XTRANORMAL

2010-09-18T11:47:00.006-04:00

Just got turned on to this web site called xtranormal.

The quick explanation is that it is a site that allows you to create simple movies with avatars (3D simulated people) and publish the videos on their site.

Pretty simple to do.

Then you log on and create movies.

The interface for creating a movie allows you to pick styles of avatar actors and scenery and then you go to the editing bay and type in your dialogue or edit camera angles etc and you create a movie. Pretty slick!

Now again open your head and think of the uses for this…

Storyboards perhaps?

Quick animatics to help you explain your idea?

Visual Notes?

Let the kids use this for school presentations…lots of little uses for this tool.

They also offer a desktop editor called "State" and right now it only runs on a windows pc

But honestly the online version is pretty fun to play with.

Here is a quick snapz Pro tutorial I made of the interface…enjoy!

To borrow a headline..."Apple Blinked!"

2010-09-11T12:27:00.002-04:00

Good news to designers and interactive content developers came yesterday on Sept. 10 2010,
Apple began to lift restrictions on its iOS platform and will allow flash apps run through Adobe Packager....
This allows you to have more options for development on more platforms.
To read more...

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/packagerforiphone/

80 for the 20…proper use

2010-06-13T10:33:00.012-04:00

Our profession has long been the lagoon of misdirected business terms.

For years the term "Holistic" was attached to every conversation about a design project. If you added the term Holistic* to "design" or "approach" you were automatically guaranteed a spot in the Design Agency Hall of Fame.

Problem was no one really thought about what holistic meant and why it should or should not be added to a conversation. It was just the vocabulary trend du jour.

Well we have added strategy, paradigm, and my latest pet peeve "80 for the 20" This gets peppered into so many discussions around project planning and design presentations and it is usually applied in such a manner that the true intent has been lost in translation.

80 for the 20 defined:

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a formula to describe the unequal distribution of the economy in his country. He based his formula on an observation that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth.

In 1937 Dr. Joseph Juran known in some circles as the father of Quality Management** attributed the practice of separating the "vital few" from the "useful many" to Pareto, and thus the Pareto Principle was born. And over time became known in management circles as the "80/20 rule"

The 80/20 rule can be applied to just about anything and it often is in project management discussions.

Simply applied to a Design project…

The first 10 percent and last 10 percent of a project consume 80 percent of your time, and resources.

Application

Design is at it's heart, invention. We invent solutions to visual and physical problems that exist in the sphere of human interactions.

Every invention begins with that AH-HA! moment the spark of creativity…the idea.

Once the idea has been hatched the design project begins.

Design projects take on 6 simple steps from idea to real item.

1. Information Mining.

2. Interpretation of the information

3. Visualization of the information into a tangible concept

4. Alignment of the concept to accepted goals for the project

5. Execution of the concept into the real item.

6. Release of the "real item" into the marketplace.

The 20 percent of your items that take up 80 percent of your time

The mining of the information from the client and the interpretation of that information into a useful roadmap consume vast amounts of time.

But that time is time well spent.

If individuals are to apply the 80/20 rule appropriately to a design project they will assign the majority of their time to information mining and alignment. This will allow the designer to focus on concrete goals for success in their visualization and execution.

In turn you will spend less time in execution phases and rework if you apply the 80/20 rule at the beginning of your project.

The flaws…when applied to talent and ideas

Currently there is a theory that applies the 80/20 rule or Pareto's Principle to people management creating so-called "Superstar Managers".

The theory's supporters claim that since 20 percent of your people resources produce 80 percent of your results (defined by success criteria) you should only focus your limited time managing only that 20 percent, Your superstars.

The flaw in the theory is that it overlooks the fact that 80 percent of your time should be spent doing what is really important.

Helping the good become better is a better use of your time than helping the great become terrific.

This is also good advice when talking about design concepts as well. If you have 5 great concepts in a cache of say 15, leave those to stand on their merits.

If you have 3 more out of the other 10 that are good but not great focus your time on those, and cast the others to the curb.

In closing…

The 80/20 rule is a good reminder for you, or your team or your management to focus 80 percent of your time and energy on the 20 percent of your work that is really important.

This will help you to work smarter on the right things!

Sources:

http://www.juran.com/index.html

" The 80/20 Principle: The secret to success by achieving more with less"

http://www.amazon.com/80-20-Principle-Success-Achieving/dp/0385491743

*Holistic: Emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of it's parts

** Quality Management has several theorists primarily Dr. W. Edwards Deming who focused on statistical approaches to quality management and Dr. Joseph Juran whose focus was more on the analytical planning approach to Quality Management.

Creative Problem Solvers…flex your mental muscles!

2010-05-20T14:45:00.002-04:00

Well here we are heading into the summer of 2010!

Where will we go from here? What trends will emerge? and most importantly what problems can we solve?

Enter Creative Problem Solving techniques!

I was fortunate while growing up that I had several influences in my life that encouraged me to seek out many solutions to a problem not just settle on one "right way" and there was never a wrong way…well except on how my mom and I had differing opinions on what a "clean room" really was. ;-)

I think what drew me to design was that you are presented with a "problem" everyday and you are required to come up with a solution that satisfies many different needs from many different opinions. There is no one right way to do things. There is no single correct solution.

However many of us get lulled into the belief after a few years in the business that there are experts on the client side that know what is "right" and what is "wrong".

On the contrary they know what they "Want" at that particular moment.

That "client want" satisfies a "business need" outlined by a group of people at a particular point in time.

It is a goal that the business needs to attain. And is often the case it needs to be solved sooner rather than later. The perception is that there is no time to explore possible solutions.

There is a finite budget and there are superiors to answer to, and hours to account for.

Many creative professionals get caught up focusing so much on the obstacles and wants of the cluster of individuals in the chain of clients that they lose site of the problem to be solved.

That is a damn shame!

Another Approach…

Begin to take another approach to solving problems that you seek out as a professional or that inevitably will come your way. And you do not have to be in the creative business to apply these steps.

Step 1: Identify the problem at hand.

Seems easy enough… but is it? when you are presented with a problem to solve we often go into "solution mode" get out the tools! charge ahead, solve that problem.

Instead stop and ask questions… What needs to be done here, what time do I think I will need to reach success? Do I know what this problem is? Really?

Does the purveyor of the problem really understand what the problem is?

Step 2. Seek out clarity.

What are the client "wants"

What are the business "needs"

What are the obstacles to "perceived success"

Step 3. Create a relationship of honesty.

Too often people do not want to share the hard truth with clients, or partners in a problem solving solution. They are afraid to hurt feelings, or are afraid to confront issues. Or are genuinely afraid of the people they have been partnered with on this solution conquest.

Take a deep breath and express your opinion and assessment. You do not build successful relationships by "being nice" and doing whatever is asked.

Summon up your respectful voice, and tell your problem partners what they need to hear.

Step 4. Use the obstacles to your advantage.

Don't Bullshit 1980's terminology "embrace your obstacles"… instead assess them. A good example is budget. If your problem to be solved at first glance requires a huge budget that is not available, then take the time to enlighten the purveyor of the problem with solid rationale on why the budget is too lean.

But don't stop there… come up with a solution that works with the proposed budget.explain and show how you can come up with a solution based on your clarity assessment at the early stages.

In closing I have not met a design problem that cannot be solved. You just need to step back and examine the situation at hand, align with partners and begin a strategic execution that will net everyone positive results.

Adobe Creative Suite 5 (CS5) training references

2010-04-23T20:52:00.009-04:00

Adobe has virtually released it's newest iteration of Creative Suite version 5.

For those new to the digital design world this is the massively expensive yet necessary suite of tools for anyone working as a professional designer today.

First thing to remember:

If you have not upgraded your Mac to an INTEL processor based G5 or Macbook Pro…there will be no CS5 for you.

That's right this is the Intel only creative suite.

This adds a bit of frustration for those who are still working with their multiprocessor Power PC G5's. And there will be no work around for this "innovation"

But as the DesignGeek wishes to forge ahead I am posting a list of tutorial sites that can get you started on your way into the world of CS5.

The best training site in my humble opinion is Lynda.com

Sure it costs 25.00 US a month but well worth the fee.

But for sneak peaks and free tutes…

Photoshop CS5 Learning sites:

National Association of Photoshop Professionals

http://www.photoshopuser.com/cs5

Photoshop CS5 tutorials

http://photoshopcs5tutorials.com/

Photoshop support.com

http://www.photoshopsupport.com/photoshop-cs5/tutorials/photoshop-cs5-tutorials.html

Adobe Photoshop tips and tricks

http://www.adobecs5videotutorial.com/

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Illustrator CS5 Learning sites:

Adobe

http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/howto/

CS5 Tutorials.net

http://cs5tutorials.net/tutorials/illustrator-cs5/

Sternfx.com

http://www.sternfx.com/tutorials/75

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Flash CS5 Tutorials

Besides all the hype and then let down from Apple that Flash will not be allowed on ipads and iphones you still should take a peak at the some of the new features.

Adobe Flash Platform Blog

http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplatform/

Jay Armstrong's Blog

http://blogs.adobe.com/jayarmstrong/

GotoandLearn

http://www.gotoandlearn.com/play?id=118

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Dreamweaver CS5:

Still a great HTML/CSS/javascript/site development and management tool.

Adobe Products

http://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver/whatsnew/?sdid=FNMYW&

Community MX

http://www.communitymx.com/abstract.cfm?cid=62862

Layers Magazine (get all your tutes here as well)

http://layersmagazine.com/category/dreamweaver

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InDesign CS5 tutorials

Layers Magazine (get all your tutes here as well)

http://layersmagazine.com/indesign-cs5-live-captions.html

Adobe

http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/scripting/

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AfterEffects CS5

Motionworks

http://www.motionworks.com.au/2010/04/aecs5-roto-brush/

Creative Cow

http://library.creativecow.net/articles/harrington_richard/after-effects-cs5-black-and-white.php

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Adobe Premiere Pro

*Adobe Premiere Pro is also in one version of the new creative suite but at this time tutorials are extremely scarce.

Designing for mobile devices

2010-02-18T16:36:00.000-05:00

Everyone has heard the buzz around the iphone and the newly released ipad.
And as designers these as well as other mobile devices are great vehicles for spreading our
visual messages to a broader audience.

Whether you are a photographer or an illustrator, or sound designer these mobile digital canvases should be part of your display capabilities.

Problem is most of us do not want to write line after line of code and quite frankly most of the community turns off their mental lights if you say "well…go learn how to code".

Well now you can have the best of both worlds…

Over the past year or so several companies have come up with DIY application tools that allow you to develop an application for iphone, ipad, blackberry, android etc and you do not have to write one line of code.
Just focus on your designs images and navigation design.

I have included a list of some of the companies and their links below

With these tools you can design games, applications for businesses, bands you name it and you will spend more time being a visual problem solver and less time as a software engineer.

Can't wait to see some new apps!

DIY iphone apps

TapLynx
http://www.taplynx.com/

• Rapidly develop iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch Apps without learning Cocoa
• Lower development and support costs
• Monetize your Apps through sponsorships, ads, and download fees
• Who is TapLynx for?
• Agencies & Designers
• Create beautiful, dynamic apps without writing code.

SwebApps

http://www.swebapps.com/index.htm

• Create an iPhone app for your business in minutes. » Track your app usage with App Tracker. » Update your app content in real time. » Now with new iPhone app buttons!

AppIncubator (human offsite developers)

http://www.medlmobile.com/index.php?page=viewapp&appId=4

• The first iPhone app that allows anybody to become an iPhone developer. Your app could become the next iPhone phenomenon and you can get paid for your creativity.
• You never know where inspiration will strike. Download the AppIncubator to your iPhone and you'll be ready whenever it does. Create a game. Solve a problem. Simplify someone's life.
• Using the simple interface, you can submit your ideas directly to the incubator. If it passes a series of tests and reviews, we’ll pay one of our development teams to build it. Then we’ll promote and market the application. And we’ll share the profits with you.

AppBreeder

http://www.appbreeder.com/

• App-Kits are the starting point for every AppBreeder App. They are a flexible collection of App settings, App behaviors and App Gadgets. They come in a variety of 'flavours'..like 'AppBand' & 'AppRealty'. All elements can be managed & customized using our online 'AppBuilder'. All elements can take advantage of iPhone's extensive abilities including GPS, Accelerometer, Camera, Voice & Media and more.

MyAppBuilder

http://myappbuilder.com

• What it Does: MyAppBuilder is a service that creates iPhone applications designed to help you sell your content. Whether that's books, music, videos, etc., the service turns any content into an app. You can also use MyAppBuilder to create custom quizzes, apps that are fed by Twitter pages, or you can turn your blog into an app by way of its RSS feed. To use the online app builder, you login to the service's "Control Panel" where you submit details about your app including content, features, flow, and image files. The company then uses this information to create an app for you which is sent back to you for review. After you approve the app, MyAppBuilder submits it to the iTunes App Store on your behalf.

Build an App (iphone and blackberry)
http://www.buildanapp.com/turbo/home

• What it Does: BuildAnApp is another DIY cross-platform app builder designed for small businesses, community groups and professional service organizations. Using the web-based service, you can pick and choose from the company's customizable templates to create apps for the iPhone, Blackberry, or Windows Mobile platforms.

ebookApp
http://ebookapp.com/

• What it Does: The eBook App Maker is a service specifically designed to create iPhone apps from eBooks. The app builder supports nearly all digital formats including PDF, Doc, Zip, CHM, HTML, TXT, FB2, PDB, PRC, Mobi, PDB, MHT, RTF. eBook creators can also specify various fonts and sizes, can add images and notes, can lock the orientation to landscape or portrait, and more.
• How Much it Costs: The company's site doesn't publicly list its pricing but offers a "request a quote" form instead.

____________________________________

Game development apps

AdventureMaker for Windows
http://www.adventuremaker.com/overview.htm

• Quickly create point-and-click games and virtual tours for Windows (native), PSP, iPhone and iPod Touch (web apps)!
• No programming required - very easy to use!
• Free edition contains all the main features
• Includes free drawing tool and music composer

GameSalad
http://gamesalad.com/landing/overview

• What it Does: GameSalad is a downloadable tool for creating games without needing to know programming or scripting. Using the company's visual editing software, you can create games which can then be published to both the web and to the iPhone. GameSalad offers a suite of "interactions" and attributes which you can add into your game to create the action. You can also drag-and-drop art files and sound files from your computer into the game builder, too. As you create the game, you can tweak the various elements during the building process and can preview what the game looks like before compiling it.

____________________________________

Music Development apps

Mobile Roadie
http://www.mobileroadie.com/

• What it Does: Mobile Roadie is an application builder that lets bands create their own custom iPhone applications which can include content like photo galleries, streaming music files, YouTube videos, upcoming concert listings, lyrics, news, Twitter and RSS feeds, and even interactive features like a "wall" where fans can post comments and photos. The app can also link to Ticketmaster and LiveNation ticket sales information and to the band's album(s) on iTunes.

____________________________________

Know basic HYML coding app

RhoMobile
http://rhomobile.com/

• What it Does: Rhomobile does require that you know how to code, but only HTML and Ruby, not the Objective C required for building iPhone apps. Developers can build any application and then use Rhomobile to deploy their app anywhere - including the iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, or Android marketplaces.

PhoneGap
http://www.phonegap.com/

• What it Does: Like Rhomobile above, PhoneGap is also an open source development tool for building mobile apps. Also like PhoneGap, you do need to know how to code, but this time, you just need to know HTML and Java as opposed to the iPhone's Objective C.

Appcelerator
http://www.appcelerator.com/products/

• Titanium makes cross-platform native application development easy.
• A free and open source application development platform, Titanium let’s you create native mobile and desktop application experiences using existing web skills like Javascript, HTML, CSS, Python, Ruby, and PHP. Learn More.

Create apps quickly and extend with your custom features.

Mobile App Loader
http://mobileapploader.com/myapp/default.aspx

• Build a Mobile App in 3 steps
• Step 1: Select a design that fits your needs
• Step 2: Sign up and purchase your App design online
• Step 3: Upload your images, contact info, and links
• Done ! Your App will be uploaded to the App store

2010-01-21T16:46:00.000-05:00

Had to share this link at Adobe TV.

Great feature to help you work more efficiently with clients this year.

DesignGeek says… "UNPLUG!"

2010-01-09T09:58:00.000-05:00

I love my digital electronic devices, and my computers and my software…If you have read this blog you know this to be true.

But I am a creative problem solver at the heart of it all and I know that the best way to get inspiration is to unplug, look and listen.

I was out hiking with my daughter and our airedale the other day through a nature preserve, and we passed 2 individuals on the trail all plugged into iphone/ipod and one was texting.

Part of me geeks out at seeing this because it is so cool to be able to compute anywhere in the world! But the artist in me thought "you are missing the whole point of this space!"

Unplugging oneself is a luxury we need to indulge in daily.

This planet has an abundance of sights and sounds man made and natural that need to be observed by the innovative and the creative.

Observing how light and shadow play in the woods and fields can inspire new lighting filters and mood patterns for painting, illustrating and sound design inspiration.

We found great patches of lichens and moss in the snow and the textures are incredible and the color contrasts are awesome.

My daughter found rocks and twigs all ending up in my pocket with assorted seed pods and the like…great stuff to render and examine later in the studio.

Ambient sounds are great to collect

I love collecting sounds, and when I am out on a walk at lunch downtown in a crowded Cincinnati street or off hiking in the woods I love picking up the most interesting audio content and letting my imagination run wild with how it could be applied.

In the hike mentioned above we saw a flock of canadian geese flying overhead and they were calling to each other. What did I get from that?

The sound of a goose and geese is priceless, great "Honk" I could actually use this when describing the senate health care debate ;-)

And this is not all about hugging trees and getting all Walden Pond on everyone… the mechanical sounds of mankind are very interesting and tell a great story if you listen.

Listen to the buses and cars and jack-hammers and try to filter in the other sounds of talking, wind blowing, and you get a symphony of modern human technology.

Also be a fly on the path when walking in a crowd listen to the overall drone of many conversations as they pass by. It is as though you are swimming through a sea of oscillating sound waves. Let it splash all over your creative muscles! The content you can pull from that journey is amazing!

Observe the sights of a city, beautiful and ugly. Remember one person's beauty is someone else's ugly, and vice versa.

I can even find some interesting patterns and textures in smashed paper mixed with slush on a sidewalk...seriously!

It is black and gray and nasty but it can trigger an inspiration of mood and can also serve as a texture for some visual exploration in the future.

Look at all the manmade textures, purposeful and discarded…it can be quite a multimedia toolkit!

In closing try it…take a walk anywhere, unplug your eyes and ears and stimulate your brain…then come back and create something amazing!!

Digital Designers, Gear up for 2010!

2009-12-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

Ok enough about the recession and how hard 2009 was…time to move on.

It looks like the shock and awe of the economic downturn has sunk in with the companies around the globe and they have divided into 2 distinct groups…

Ones who will fail next year

and my favorite…

Companies that know that innovation in new products and services are going to help them capture the lion's share of the market.

How do you become a design leader in the second group?

Enhance your capabilities…that's right not your portfolio but your arsenal of services that you can bring to your clients.

Strengthen your core creative offering with new tools necessary for today's marketplace.

Adjust your pricing and your attitude toward the projects that you get.

Work hard at listening to the client and ASK them for clarity around deliverables before diving into the work.

And lastly, tuck any design arrogance that has latched on to you over the years back under the rock where it came from.

Designers in the Digital era are a very lucky few. We have skills and knowledge to help innovators visualize their ideas in context of the marketplace. We can help them rapidly prototype their mental ideas into a visual that could secure capital investments for development and deployment.

We are the rare breed that can make a static presentation come alive with color, type and motion. We understand how to get someone's attention. And we understand how to keep an audience's attention with visual and audio queues.

Designers of this era are better connected than ever before through LinkedIn, FaceBook, and Twitter. USE THOSE CONNECTIONS to solve creative problems that come your way.

Unabashedly reach out to those connections when you need someone's expertise to help you solve a technical issue that you cannot resolve yourself.

This is not just common sense but it can also spread business to other sectors that will fuel innovative producers in the future.

Expand your horizons through new education

Yeah I know "when will I have time?, I don't have the money, the kids have soccer…"

Quit your whining!

Online training resources abound from the free to the moderately priced.

And the new education model uses a technology paradigm called "passive meeting technology"

This means, it works with you on your schedule on your downtime or uptime.

And it comes right to your desk or smartphone.

I always have one response to our culture when they put learning off as a last resort…"quit the business".

Yes you read it correctly. You have to keep learning and relearning in this industry and many others in order to stay ahead of the curve.

And trust me from experience, if you do quit a skill think about the learning and training time you will invest in a new line of work?

Integrate your new education into something meaningful!

We all have personal projects that we want to do and never have the time to accomplish.

Well now is your chance! if you are learning a new skill then use the training time to build that interactive photo album or video or game for the family.

I have been training creative professionals for years on the latest technology and I have found that people will retain the information longer and build stronger problem solving skills if they learn through meaningful application.

Personal experience, I wanted to learn game development that I could apply to business. I could have frantically accepted a project and worked round the clock stressed out in hopes of applying lessons to someone's paid expectations. I thought about the risk versus the reward on this approach, and it did not look like a favorable option.

So I made a game for my kids. I was able to take my time making something I liked from a visual standpoint and I was able to take the proper amount of time to understand how to write the scripts for the game play.

I now have a great toolbox to use for future billable projects.

And lastly…" I have a job with a firm and they will not let me learn something new. we have to work on the old billable work".

What?!?!?

First off you own your career as a designer, your firm is just a place you work on projects for money.

You have an arrangement of "goods for services" they supply goods in the way of money and select benefits. You supply them with a high level of service based on your initial agreement.

But to stop stretching your ability because the current "client" does not want or need a new offering is ridiculous.

Own your career!!! learn something new and create competitive offerings for your current client or new clients.

So race into 2010 with the attitude that as a digital designer you offer creative solutions to complex problems that face us all. Learn about some new tools that will help you create innovation opportunities that will in turn strengthen global economies one project at a time.

Happy New Year!

Nick

FLASH for the iphone! development Beta

2009-10-06T14:52:00.000-04:00

Adobe announced that Flash CS5 will allow you to develop for the iphone FINALLY.

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcs5/appsfor_iphone/

This means two things… One, that rich media content can be developed in Flash for all mobile devices on the market today as well as Television, Web, and Game systems like the Wii.

Two, This platform will allow designers, illustrators to work more collaboratively on rich media content without having to relearn a new set of tools. As the Adobe creative suite feeds each component (illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop and Flash, After Effects ) this makes it easier to utilize creative teams as they exist today. And it allows those who want to learn flash as an extension of their adobe knowledge a new canvas for which to present their visions.

Go forth and Learn Flash!!!

Nick

Actionscripting into the Fall…

2009-09-02T20:43:00.000-04:00

Ahh the summer is ending here in Ohio and I am working hard at illustrating characters for a pro-bono animation project as well as re-learning Actionscript.

Well It seems as though I am having to start all over again with Actionscript 3.0

For those not familiar with Flash Actionscript is the language that Flash uses to make things happen in your animation or game creation or presentation.

The new version has a stricter set of rules than in previous applications, and for a visual creative person it can be daunting.

I have been rethinking the way that I learn and retain information with this exercise and it has been an incredible mental workout.

I am now looking at the pieces of art I create in a different way...as objects with very tangible traits.

If you ever have an interest to join the masses who like to make their visions move and interact with the user try some of these courses...

http://www.senocular.com/flash/tutorials/as3withflashcs3/

and most importantlyTodd Perkins' classes on Lynda.com

Selfless promotion…simplicity in character development

2009-08-10T09:18:00.000-04:00

I have been working on an animation project for awhile and have

the character studies underway.

Had to share the look and feel of one of the characters.

Saying that I guess the topic of this post would be understanding how to create simplicity in your illustrations for movement.

While this is still in the "digi-sketch" stage I have had many starts and misstarts on creating efficiencies in the creation of the body parts etc.

Art Authentication..

2009-07-14T20:44:00.000-04:00

In my last post I discussed my fascination with Processing, a scripting language for artists to create just about anything through the employment of programming constructs.

This week I continue this discussion, by taking a look at a video shown on July 2, 2009 on Nova's Science Now.

In this video an artist is challenged to copy Vincent Van Gogh's "The Reaper". Then a team of computer scientists from various universities use their progrmming algorithms to determine which "Reaper" is the real painting by Van Gogh, and which painting was done by the contemporary artist in the study.

How the program(s) determine what is Van Gogh and what is a forgery is an amazing dive into the study of numeric patterns, and how they are represented in even the spontaneous brush strokes of an artist.

Where do I go with this?

I do not think that the digital medium should or could replace the spontaneity of our work, but it is fascinating that at the base level patterns can be realized and replicated. Whether in nature or in human-made visualizations.

Watch the video online at:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0302/02.html

I am Processing.....

2009-06-16T19:39:00.001-04:00

Lately I have been trying to get at something, from my work with Arduino Microcontrollers to ContextFree Art and now Processing.

The "something" is to find what ties art and technology together.

I know,I know we already have applications like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and for many of us in the visual communication field that is the extent of our technology art hybrid.

But there is a fascination at least for myself to take raw data and make it into something beautiful.

The expressionists pushed the boundary of what could be done with pigment and shape. And today's artists have the opportunity to do the same with languages such as processing. Think of it as using raw color straight from the tube!

If you think about it everything that we see and experience is created from very basic elements, photons of light, molecules and atoms, and when they are collected together and placed in an arrangement by whatever force we choose to believe in… well it can become a thing of beauty.

Ok too deep? Well this is a great segue into the art created by a language called processing.

Processing is a language, development environment, and online community that was created for visual artists created in 2001. The about section at processing.org sums up it's capabilities but you need to experience what it can do for your art.

Motion graphics and installation pieces, data visualization (See Aeolab's PeopleMover) are just some of the many things that can be developed with Processing.

Processing also lies at the heart of some amazing new developments in user interface and multitouch interfaces (think biiiiiggg ipod touch).

I will be documenting a multi touch drawing table that I am working on with some folks in future posts.

Take a look at some of the work out there today…

Processing Gallery

Openprocessing.org

Processing does require some learning in the area of writing code. And as code goes it is not that bad. This may put some folks out of their comfort zone...but isn't that what art is all about?

Nick

Context Free Art Patterns

2009-05-23T19:05:00.000-04:00

CONTEXT FREE ART

Wow this is a really neat program!

It takes a bit of time to get to know it but it is well worth it.

I recently used this to create some pattern studies for a project and I became addicted to ContextFree Art.

You essentially create shapes and patterns by way of written instructions called Grammars.

Chris Coyne created this small design language that saves out files in CFDG format.

But wait there is more!

You can save the files out as .SVG which is a vector format that can be edited in Adobe Illustrator. It also saves out animation files in Quicktime of your patterns drawing from scratch.

And it also saves out .PNG files so you can take them just about anywhere and have a blast.

This is great for your own art therapy or for great textile designs, patterns for animation, or take the patterns into a design and add textures etc and come up with something wonderful.

Get the program HERE

Learn about it THERE

Animation of a variation of the above graphic...

Project Spectrum

2009-05-02T10:38:00.000-04:00

I wanted to put a link to Google Sketchup and their recently launched Project Spectrum

Sketchup is great for professional and amatuer artists, architects and visualization specialists, but Google has harnessed the power of Sketchup to bring out the great creative strengths that kids within the Autistic Spectrum possess.

Google says it best…

Project Spectrum - Strengths of autism shine through in 3D

Project Spectrum was created to give people with autism the opportunity to express their creativity and develop a life skill using Google SketchUp 3D modeling software.

The idea for Project Spectrum originated when we began getting phone calls and emails from users telling us about how much kids on the autism spectrum were enjoying SketchUp. As the calls kept coming in, we learned that people with autism tend to be visually and spatially gifted—that, in fact, they think in pictures. When people with these gifts get their hands on powerful, easy-to-use 3D design software like SketchUp, sparks tend to fly.

Augmented Reality

2009-03-22T19:33:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh March Madness in the U.S., and I am enjoying as many games as I am able to watch.

But something else re-caught my eye in March and that was the use of a new technology called Augmented Reality or AR for short.

AR is essentially the combination of virtual reality and real world elements. And in this blogspace I will concern myself with print illustrations that come to life with the use of an AR tagged illustration, a web cam, and a computer with the appropriate plug in installed.

I first became introduced to AR back in October 2008 when I heard about the technology being launched at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The company to bring it into the spotlight is a German firm named METAIO.

They teamed up with a publisher, Knowledge Media, and arsedition

to create a book called UFO's and Aliens.

This is something you must see to appreciate and METAIO has some visualization shots on their site.

But in 2009 General Electric's SmartGrid Website allows you to print out a tagged page on your inkjet or laser printer and try out the technology yourself.

Think of the possibilities for information graphics, illustrations and interactive games in general.

Until next time,

Nick

Kids Animation Packages

2009-02-22T16:01:00.000-05:00

Wow! where did January go?

And for that matter February?

I am fortunate that both my kids like to sit with me while I create, and they ask lots of questions about drawing, animation and computers in general.

This is actually great since it keeps me sharp enough to really understand the techniques that I am attempting these days. :-)

I was taking a break, and my youngest asked if there was software for kids to use for animation. I shared Pencil, and they see me in Flash all the time. And while they, and other kids can get into these programs and do some amazing things.

I wanted to do some research on kid specific animation tools.

I also found that these tools are kind of neat for adults wanting to break into digital animation for their websites or general knowledge.

And if I have to advise one thing as time marches on...LEARN MOTION DESIGN!!

Toon Boom Studios: Has 3 kids products, Flip Boom Classic, Comic Boom, and Animationish.

These are all very good for learning the basics of creating stories in motion.

Not bad in the price category either especially for the tool set you receive.

FluxTime Studio: Neat little program to teach the basic basics of movement runs on Windows and on JAVA runtime enabled computers.

StickMan (cutoutpro): This is a real gem! It teaches the basics of rigging and bone animation, or puppet construction...sold outside the US and only in windows format

Anim8tor: This is a free 3D animation software for Windows...I have not tried it out yet, but it looks interesting

They have a nice animation gallery....amazing work from a free product

Creatoon: This one is really neat! Only for Windows at this time.

You can really get some great cut out animation effects with this free download.

So there ya go introduce one or many of these packages to your inner kid and get "moving"

Nick

How to share your thoughts and artwork worldwide!

2009-01-22T19:58:00.000-05:00

I have been working with a product from Adobe called Acrobat Connect and I have to say it is fairly solid and is a great way to conference with publishers, art directors etc just about anywhere in the world.

The premise is that this is a software that uses a webcam, a dedicated phone service through Adobe and you can allow your viewers to see your work on screen with very little effort on their part.

Check out their Demo

I have made connections with this tool in Frankfurt, London, Here in Ohio and in California.

I can share my files in realtime and have my clients or colleagues react with annotations on the images in PDF.

And the other wonderful thing about Acrobat Connect is that you can record your notes and the session for playback later. It helps with the clarity piece of your long distance business conversations.

The price is not bad:

Currently you can take a 15 day free trial spin

and if you decide to buy you can buy the service for $39.95 US a month. And have up to 15 conference attendees on at a time.

Is video necessary?

While it is nice to see the person you are talking to, it is also not necessary when sharing artwork in Photoshop or PDF, or Illustrator. You can still do the audio discussion and the real bang for the buck is the ability to view and mark up work.

Where else can you go with this?

Think about this as an idea...you could do long distance training sessions. Or how about a global critique group much like Illustration Friday, but with a more personal touch… video and audio discussions.

I belong to SCBWI it would be neat to have regional discussion groups utilize technology like this as well.

Have you ever wanted your art to move?

2009-01-17T11:41:00.000-05:00

Well, it is another very cold day in Ohio, 0 degrees and climbing to 12 on my thermometer.

So when it hurts to be outside it is a good day to explore some digital techno-stuff.

This post centers around a great micro controller created for artists. It is called the ARDUINO board.

For those new to micro controllers the best definition is that it is a computer-o-a-chip, contaning a processor, memory, and input and output functions.

Why is this cool?

Basically they are small enough to sew into stuffed animals attach to sculptures, control lights and sound, make music, things talk, walk, send information and on and on.

Just one example is on todbot.com. In this series the author shows you how to make some cool Halloween animatronics and lights etc.

But the nice thing about this particular microcontroller is that it is affordable and easily programmable and there are lots and lots of how to's on the web and some artists have done some really neat installations with arduino controllers

Check them out

There are artists all over the world taking their work to the next level of motion using the arduino platform.

To see but a few check out...

THIS LINK – Arduino Playground

"But I am an artist, I can't program things or build circuits and, and,..."

The Arduino community has created a very easy method for getting your ideas out of your head and into the board and out to the world.

It is a language called processing.

"Processing is an open source language for people who want to program images, animation, and interactions. It is used by students, artists, designers, etc." source processing.org

If you stretch your creative muscles beyond the norm once this year do it in the direction of the Arduino and processing.

Wacom Tablets: How do you choose?

2009-01-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

I get this question a lot:

"Which wacom tablet should I buy?"

Most of us in the digital arts field will eventually want to move from mouse to stylus and sort of draw and paint like we used to.

For the majority of the field out there the standard digitizing tablet is the WACOM.

I have been working with a few of them for years. I think that the type of tablet you get depends on your personal preferences. They have made them anywhere from large in size and price to what I have settled on and that is the Graphire series tablets.

Where to Compare:

WACOM did a great thing for consumers by putting up a page on their site that lets you compare models to see which tablet is right for you.

The thing to look for is how many levels of pressure sensitivity there are and the physical size that makes you comfortable.

Again I like Graphire because it is a 6x8 footprint, and they have a wireless model.

How much pressure:

One other thing, Seriously consider how many levels of pressure you need and really how light your strokes created on a digital canvas will actually reproduce in print. You may be happy with 512 levels.

There are some digitizers that produce 1,000+ levels and the fact is you may never need that range. The production you get on an inkjet printer sill not show the super subtle strokes you create in your artwork and traditional printing can only display so much.

Bottom line you are creating a digital representation of something...Not a true painting.

One Last thing…

After you install the drivers on your tablet always remember to check the website for updates. And make sure you read what the update resolves or adds to the functionality of your tablet before you install.

Happy Digitizing!

Nick

Digital Sketching

2009-01-05T19:38:00.000-05:00

A nice chilly Jan 5th in the Midwest and I am trying something new with something old.

I normally start all of my illustrations in pencil on tracing paper. I tend to use 2 grades of pencil. An HB and then I come back in and work it over with a 2B or 4B.

I have always liked the look and feel of pencil on tracing paper or parchment or crows quill paper.

Depending on what my final look will be I either scan in the sketch and bring in color in photoshop or I do an ink and prismacolor scrub technique.

Even though I do enjoy my techy art tools I still like working out a problem with the pencil and paper.

But I digress...I wanted to share a new find for those times that I want to sketch and have my wifi connection available sitting in a coffee shop, and don't want to carry my pencil sharpener around.

So I wanted a digital sketchbook.

First thing I did was convert an old Mac laptop circa 1998 into a tablet by disassembling it and hacking in an old wacom board behind the LCD. Voila! I could draw on my screen.

But while that was fun I still wanted something that felt more like a sketch pad. Lighter, more compact.

In comes the tablet PC.

Now I am quirky in that if this is going to be a sketchbook it should follow some criteria...

It cannot cost $1,000.00 US. I mean it's a sketchbook for gosh sake!

It has to be able to handle several different drawing programs. Again I can use any type of thing to draw in my paper sketchbook, so I should have that luxury on the digital version right?

I started the search on ebay for "tablet PC's" and found an older (2003) fujitsu Stylistic 3400S.

You can get these for around $100.00-150.00 U.S. and that satisfies my "must be under $1,000.00 rule.

Second it uses Windows 2000 Pro, not necessarily the OS I like, but it works and I can put on Photoshop if I want and more importantly I can put on some open source drawing packs and really get crazy.

After drawing on this thing I really like it. It is purely for catching those ideas as they fly into my head.

Plus I can transfer sketches via USB to my Mac or print them out and go traditional, or e-mail them to myself or someone else.

Very flexible.

The other nice thing is it has an on-screen keyboard so I can tap out a note and if that is not enough it has hand writing recognition software built in.

The price is nice

You can buy new models and you will pay 1600.00 to 2,400.00 in price and yes they are fast and amazing, but I travelled through Europe in college with my old strathmore sketchpad and although I am glad I still have those drawings I never worried about bumping it or god forbid losing it. Same thing with this. I really do not want to misplace it but I will not lose sleep if I do.

One last thing it is great for showing off your website and or portfolio. The screen is beautiful.

Other options:

There are other tablets out there such as the Fujitsu 4000 line much faster and you can rotate the screen to portrait or landscape. they will run between $200.00 US and 350.00 US

If you can find a 5000 line Fujitsu even better still!

Toshiba has a view versions as well.

Just make sure you get the following:

AC adapter

Stylus

And see if the battery is included and if it holds a charge. Otherwise you are tethered to an outlet bleecchchh!

Nick

DIY Bookbinding: Minipost

2009-01-02T09:49:00.001-05:00

I love books!

And the art of bookbinding is something that has always held my attention.

With the ability to print very beautiful and sometimes archival images and text with today's inkjet printers you should be able to create very impressive portfolios and one of a kind books.

DIY Bookbinding by M.M. Rooney

This is a PDF that was created for a Directed Study project for Hand book binding for UBC SLAIS.

This is written in a very easy to follow style and will allow the user to take their pages (signatures) and produce beautiful soft cover or hard cover books.

For great supplies such as end papers, PVA glue, boards etc. go to Hollander's in Ann Arbor MI.

Nick

They have many unique supplies and also offer some interesting classes.

Finding 3D software tools

2009-01-01T16:58:00.000-05:00

Happy 2009!!

I should have titled this post as Blender, blender blender!!!!

There are several 3D modeling, rendering and animation packages out in the commercial world, and to most artists they are prohibitively expensive.

Many offer student licenses and demo seats. Problem is they are limited or they stamp their logo all over your art.

Now don't get me wrong I am not against people making money or protecting intellectual property. I am all about succeeding, but I also think that it is nice to have an affordable platform from which you can decide if this is truly going to be

your cup of tea.

The other plus about Blender is that it can run on many platforms so you do not have to run out and buy a huge computer adding to the monstrous expense of the software.

If you start making animation history, well yeah then you need to get some killer equipment ;-)

_________________________________________________

Get Started!

Saying that I do know that many firms, corporations, film studios etc use commercial apps such as Maya™, Cinema 4D™, Lightwave™, 3DS Max to name a few. And the fact is if you want a job where they use this software you will need to learn how the software works and how they layout the interface etc. in order to be effective at your job.

But using Blender you can learn the industry standard tasks, in modeling, rendering, rigging, and animation. You can also use Blender for experimentation in game character development.

And again you could start your 3D journey in Blender and stay there for a long long time making incredible artwork and animation that is cinema quality!

I cannot say enough about this application, and the community , Blender.org foundation that surrounds and supports the development efforts.

_______________________________________________

There are so many avenues for tutorials from the site itself…

Blender.org/education-help/tutorials/

Blenderart Magazine

And the incredible site at Tufts University authored by Professor Neil Hirsig

Blender 3D Design Course

And if your learning profile is more adapted towards books there are several out that are good to great.

Just go to Amazon or another mega online book store.

____________________________________________

Download

In the meantime if you are ready to start working in the 3D world go to Blender's download site and start off 2009 with a bang!!

Nick

Last post of 2008: Animation resources

2008-12-31T11:14:00.000-05:00

Well here it is the last day of 2008 and as promised yesterday I am posting some links to some good animation references.

One Tip: Always start by learning the fundamentals first. In this case frame by frame animation before jumping right into the 3D world. I know that most of us are eager to get moving

in that super 3D app that we have heard about, but give yourself a couple of weeks to get familiar with the traditional methods which have now been enhanced by the computer. You will be a better animator in the long run.

History of Animation

Yep, read this so you know which came first the cel or the frame ;-)

Source: www.usca.edu Nancy Maria Swygert

Preston Blair "Animation 1"

This first one is not free, but essential in my opinion if you want to know the basics of movement for characters.

There are some animators that worked from different schools of style, but there are quite a few that list this book as the base of their learning in the art of animation.

It is also a great resource for character development even if you will not be animating the final character. GREAT INVESTMENT!

Source: Amazon.com

Open Source animation software: PENCIL

If you do not want to invest in Flash just yet, but you want to learn how to do basic frame by frame animation then this is the software that you need.

Very easy to learn and is licensed as Open Source software.

Source: www.les-stooges.org/pascal/pencil

Next Post 2009: 3D applications how to get the best affordable education in this area!

Happy New Year!!

How to learn new techniques

2008-12-30T11:58:00.000-05:00

In my last post I directed readers to the U.S. Department of Labor statistics on Graphic Design and the future employment landscape.

One of the key recommendations on that site was…

"Individuals with a bachelor's degree and knowledge of computer design software, particularly those with Web site design, and animation experience will have the best opportunities."

But the question always comes up how do I learn about these technologies?

There is also the financial question, how much is this going to cost?

The good news is you can learn a lot about the new digital landscape for free or a minimal cost. The biggest investment will however be your time.

You need to stay with the materials and actually build items in your chosen software platform.

For example if you want to learn how to really truly design effective web pages then you need to understand what the web landscape is all about.

What do I mean by that?

For example if you designed a brochure you would want to know the following...

1. What type of paper will it be printed on?

2. How many ink stations do I have?

3. What line screen will best represent my images and illustrations?

4. What type of printing will be used?

etc.etc...

It is the same with designing a website.

You need to know

1. What type of technology will I use?

2. What graphics format will work best on my page/site?

3. How long will people wait for my page to load on their computer?

4. What colors work best on the site

etc. etc...

Although you may not have all the answers to those questions above currently you can find guidance and it will not cost you a cent.

Great learning tools for web design and creation:

Think of HTML as the paper and the web browser (internet explorer, Safari, Firefox etc.) as the final book you are designing.

Understand how a web page works (learn a little or a lot)

1. http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp

2. HTML Goodies

Web Design Principles: Great online resource for everything from understanding HTML to applying what you already know about design to your new canvas.

3. Principles of Web Design/About.com

--------------------------------------

In the next post I will show you where to learn some basic info about animation.

Economic woes of 2007, 2008, 2009,....

2008-12-28T14:46:00.000-05:00

Well we all know that the country is in a recession (some of my friends say we are in a depression) whatever you want to call it you need to know that our career choice is just as vulnerable as the auto industry.

Lesson 1:

Know your canvas!

Whatever you have chosen for your design title you need to know that foremost you are a problem solver, which means when things are tough your ability to analyze the situation and come up with a solution to any problem will be sought after.

But first you must begin to understand what your canvas, (the business environment)

looks like.

Ask yourself

• What tools do I need to succeed in this environment?

• What do I need to change in my body of work

• What do I need to change in my capabilities presentation.

• Who do I need to connect with in order to fill gaps in my skillset portfolio.

A great first place to find out is right here on the web.

Find out what the environment looks like from government reports, business trends analysis, and read between the lines. If a report stresses the need for a designer to understand the 3D environment or web authoring then that is your cue to learn, fine-tune that skillset.

U.S. Department of Labor

Occupational Outlook for 2009

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos090.htm

2008-12-28T14:19:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Designgeek2009!

After years of spending time in the trenches of the design/illustration and branding business as both an artist and as a technologist I wanted to put together a space where I could share some advice and thoughts on the design business and how it has been changed and will keep changing with technology.

The first blast came in the late 1980's with the dawn of "Desktop Publishing" allowing mere mortals to design, layout and print their ideas on paper in the form of newsletters and brochures.

That soon evolved into a cheaper way for small studios and even the news media to have artists build digital files on PC's and mostly Macintosh computers.

I arrived into the design field right at this time and learned something very important.

"KNOW YOUR TECHNOLOGY".

By that I mean know the consequences of how your design will work within the new technology landscape.

In the next few posts I want to elaborate on how you can prepare for the ever changing technology landscape. Whether you are an Art Director, Designer, Illustrator, Photographer, or Print Production specialist you need to expand your understanding of technology. You can no longer be a passive designer relying on IT to guide you.