Photo stock agency Corbis has come up with an unusually charming promotional scheme: cute and colorful DIY pinhole cameras sporting the agency’s photos and illustrations. The cameras, which take fuzzy photos that have a nostalgically lo-tech look, are ready for download at Corbis’ web site. All you have to do is to pick a pdf of your favorite design...
I recently switched web hosts for a client. I hate switching hosts, but it seems like a lot of hosts that start out great (good price, good customer service) hit a certain size and then go down hill rapidly. I’ve had that experience with Frogee and now with Midphase. So, I looked at the site, checked what email addresses...
Used to be, planning the HOW Design Conference involved choosing a site and inviting a handful of speakers. Now, there’s way more to it. Oddly, I’m always amazed and even a little overwhelmed when I see the final conference program, with not only the lineup of sessions that we’ve developed but all the other stuff that’s going on during...
I hope you enjoy my list of five wonderful things that have recently brought me inspiration. They are in no particular order…. iPhone: I know this is overused. But, my iPhone is so crazy-easy to use! I really tried to not include it, but the truth is that I have been completely inspired since the minute I bought it...
Looking at other people’s work can inspire all kinds of feelings (jealousy, arrogance, humility and frustration being some of mine). No matter what these emotions are, there’s always something to be learned from them. But the most valuable reaction you can have to someone else’s creativity is to be reenergized by it. I’m not a designer, but I get...
How do you turn a cool concept into an interface that’s easy to use? Ask Mike! We’re very excited to announce the birth of our new column “Ask Mike!”, where guest author and usability expert Mike Madaio will help you make sense of fundamental user concerns, emerging technologies, and the ins and outs of usability testing.Mike also writes for...
Recently and yet again, I was asked for a copy of a font. Someone I thought of as a legitimate designer asked me to e-mail a font I paid for so they would not have to. Though it has happened many times, this “I’m a shoplifter so you must be one too,” attitude never ceases to amaze and insult...
I’m probably a little crazy, but I’m trying to have it all and I’m sure I’m not alone. I have a full-time design position with salary, benefits and job security. However, in this current economic environment, you never know what’s going to happen, so I still maintain an active network of freelance clients just in case my day-job turns...
Stefan at his favorite spot in the studio Graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister specializes in the unexpected. He is known for idiosyncratic and humorous work that always gives you the slight jolt of seeing something completely new. When it comes to his workspace, however, Stefan is a creature of habit. He has been living and working out of the same...
With the deadline for your personal taxes just around the corner (and your corporate taxes a few weeks ago), it’s time to review if you’re doing what you can to save on taxes. Even if it’s too late for some of these strategies this year, it’s never too late to plan ahead for the 2008 tax year. So let’s...
