樂聞設計

starbucks coffees website

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:59:42 +0000

虽然喝不惯星巴克的咖啡，但一直很欣赏它的视觉效果，无论是店面的设计，还是产品的包装，当然还有网站的设计，这是星巴克的一个子网站，喜欢用粉笔画的那些小画，当切换到其他类别的时候，先前的背景图还在后面隐约看得见。

http://www.starbuckscoffeeathome.com/

Tags - web , starbucks , coffee

iPhone’s Second Coming

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:09:35 +0000

Well the second coming has finally arrived. The brand new iPhone version 2.0 was just announced by the master of marketing Mr. Steve Jobs. What is so “new” about the new iPhone? Here are the basic relevant features for your average user:

- 3G Network Compatibility (This means much, much faster internet access. A very needed update.)
- Extended Battery Life based on previous iPhone.
- Now comes in black and white.
- More memory. (8GB & 16GB)
- Flush headphone jack (No more headphone adaptors)
- Available in over 70 countries. (sorry Tennessee)
- Full GPS! (never get lost again…ever.)

Shipments start July 11th and will cost $199 for the 8GB and $299 for the 16GB.

看起来比之前的iphone在价格上便宜了很多，又多了很多功能。可惜目前在中国内地还没有销售，要期待一段时间了。

Tags - iphone

骨肉相连，同此国殇！

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:25:09 +0000

公元2008年5月19日14时28分，为了数万个在瞬间集体陨灭的生命，华夏山河呜咽，神州大地悲泣，悲伤的泪水，汇流成河。无尽的悲怆，一声声汽笛，长鸣的警报，是我们对所有逝去同胞不舍的呼唤，是我们对所有遇难亲人不忍的告别，是整个民族无限的痛楚和创伤，更是对汶川大地震所有遇难者最后的庄严敬礼！

Bless Sichuan! Bless China!
Tags - bless , sichuan , earthquake

EMI的LPCD封面设计

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:50:09 +0000

今年年初设计的东西，给百代唱片公司上海步升文化设计的几个方案，很遗憾的是目前项目终止，业已没有继续合作的希望，所以可以发上来晒晒。有些感觉我觉得还是挺有意思的，不过当时对方催促得很急，交稿时间也很短，没来得及深入调整，还有待完善。

Tags - design , cd , package , emi

icon设计的7个实用原则

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:57:53 +0000

大家看看哦，很有帮助！
Before approaching icon design there are some guidelines and principles that are worth studying. If you want to create effective icon designs, then you should take a holistic approach to issues such as: audience, size, simplicity, lighting, perspective, and style. This article gives you a good starting place for creating icons that work well together and fit seamlessly within your designs.

1. Approach Icon Design Holistically

Icons fit within graphic systems. Whether they are designed for desktop applications or websites, an icon is one of many graphic elements that need to work together harmoniously. Carry this logic across icon sets as well. Icons can be appreciated for their esthetic solutions individually, but they don't function alone. Evaluate your icon designs relative to the graphic system you're using them in. Make sure that each icon differs from surrounding icons, while still working together as a whole.

In the article Designing an iconic language over at Turbo Milk the author Yegor Gilyov states, "If you need to draw several icons, you need to think over images for the whole set of icons before proceeding with illustrating activities." This is one of two major points made in this article on icon design. He goes on to explain how failing to plan how the whole set of icons will work together from the beginning will ensure a huge waste of time, as redesign will be inevitable.

2. Consider Your Audience

You will have different considerations if you're designing an intranet for a small company, rather than for a product that may be sold internationally. When creating icons cultural considerations are important. Symbols may differ for common elements you may use for your designs.

Turbo Milk has another great article; this one is called 10 Mistakes in Icon Design. In it, they point out some clear examples of where many icon designs go wrong. They discuss national and social characteristics in point seven of the article. "It is always necessary to take into account the conditions in which your icon is going to be used. An important aspect here is national characteristics. Cultural traditions, surroundings and gestures can differ radically from country to country." They go on to give an example of how mailboxes differ greatly between countries. Apple uses the same example in its Human Interface Guidelines.

So, designing an international icon based on one country's rural mailbox design is a bad idea. Really specific example of what not to do. They point out how Apple's Mail icon is more recognizable as stamps have more cultural universality.

3. Design for the Size the Icon will be Used At

If you go vector and make your icon in Illustrator, there is an inherent temptation to scale the design, and try to use it at any size. This doesn't work with icons. What looks good at 512px looks like a blurry smear at 16px. Icons should have a base design that is used as a starting point, but each output size needs to have its own optimized design.

Icon design is not a one design equals scalable solution medium though. This is one reason that Photoshop is just as good a solution as other programs. For designers that make icons in Illustrator they are still going to clean them up in Photoshop, or jump through some hoops to get their icons to look good at small sizes when being output directly from Illustrator. So, don't buy into the myth that icon design is a purely Vector based medium. We are outputting pixels here after all.

There are also vector tools in Photoshop and masks that you can take advantage of that equal the scalable playing field between the programs. If you're equally versed with Illustrator and Photoshop you may find a workflow that goes well between the two programs. Consider using Smart Objects. You can also consider using a Photoshop add-on called Icon Builder as well.

The approach taken for small icons and large icon design is immensely different. Firewheel has a good article that covers the scaling subject called Icon Design: Bitmap vs Vector. Also, review this article on Icon Design Sizing over at Mezzoblue. It covers some inherent issues with designing icons for small sizes.

4. Keep Icons Simple and Iconic

With operating systems now having icons that scale to large sizes (512px by 512px is gigantic for an icon) the temptation grows to get illustrative with your icon designs. While a level of realism can add interest to an icon design, it should not supersede its ability to function simply and effectively.

Smashing Magazine has a great summary of the Apple Human Interface guidelines on Icon Design. The section on Realism in Aqua makes some good points about the limitations of realism in icon design and points out when symbolism is necessary. This section discusses the issues at odds between realism and simplicity in icon design.

Try not to overcomplicate icon designs. Be wary of placing too many items into an icon design, or overly illustrating an icon. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the common symbol for RSS icons. View the example below from Smashing Magazine. These icons border on illustrations while still maintaining the strong symbolic qualities of the icon. Overly illustrating and dressing up icons results in lower recognition though, especially at small sizes. So, be careful with putting to much into an icon design.

There are times when the aesthetic interest of the icon may be worth loosing some of its iconic impact; it's always a judgement call, and needs will vary with each design. Compare one of the icon sets below to a simpler RSS icon design, like the one here on PSDTUTS. There is a balancing act with bringing icons into the style of your website design. You want to add interest, and compliment the design, but not loose the iconic impact of the icon.

The icons below look really cool. It requires a judgement though as to whether the loss of some of the quick recognition of the symbol is worth the added design around the symbol. At a large size it works just fine, as they function similar to illustrations. At smaller sizes though, a less dressed solution may be preferable.

5. Cast Consistent Lighting, Reflections, and Shadows

It's important that the realism you add to your designs all function coherently. If you utilize a light source coming from one direction then stick with it. Or else you risk loosing the integrated design of your icons. Also, consider the light source of the design your icons will be placed in. If the light source of the icons is at odds with the website or application design your using them in then the design will appear amateurish.

In the Windows Vista User Experience Guide there is a section on icon lighting and shading. The guidebook gives really specific rules for the Vista Icon set. This gives more exacting standards for icon designers and insures a unified icon system. Following is a specific rule to see an example, "Use shadows to lift objects visually from the background, and to make 3D objects appear grounded, rather than awkwardly floating in space." There are many more rules in this guide.

6. Utilize a Limited Perspective

The range of perspective within your icon design set should work together. If you have icons being looked at from straight ahead then stick with that. If you place one at a specific angle, then make sure all the icons function that way. Imagine a camera being placed from a specific vantage point and looking at all the objects from the same perspective. This helps to maintain consistency in your icon designs.

A large scale design system, something like a software operating system, may need more flexibility than that though. Apple covers Icon Perspective in its Human Interface Guidelines. They have a more flexible use of perspective. "The various perspectives are achieved by changing the position of an imaginary camera capturing the icon." The image below shows the difference in perspective between an Application Icon (Top) and a Toolbar Icon (Bottom).

7. Create Consistent Icon Set Styles

Lighting and Perspective certainly contribute to the style of an icon. Though, there are many other factors that can contribute to the style as well. If you're trying to fit your icon into a grunge style website design, you'll likely be adding texture to the style of the icon's design.

Icon sets have unique features that make them stand out. In the Echo Icon Guidelines the set is describes as, "Echo is currently a new set of icons proposed for inclusion in Fedora. Designed with a dynamic perspective, Echo icons aim to appear more realistic while still maintaining a clean and simple design by utilizing high contrast and spots of vibrant colors." Another way that this set stands out is through the consistent use of outlines. See the image below for an example.

Get Started with Icon Design

Designing icons for websites is a good way to get started with icon design. Often, there are only a few icons needed for a site design. Start simple with a small website design project where you are required to design only a handful of icons, or less. This is a good way to gain some experience with icon design.

Start the icon design process with research. Consider the common symbolic metaphor used to describe the icon your looking to make. Sketch as much as necessary to lock down the concept. Compliment the style of the icon designs with the website design you'll be using them on. Consider the color, perspective, and graphic look of the site.

Hicks design has a quick SlideShare presentation on Icon Design. One section of the presentation covers his design process. It gives some great visual examples. Below is an example of the sketching step.

Tags - icon , design

提高Photoshop的水平的10个学习方法

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:06:57 +0000

这段时间一直在用photoshop设计东西，由于以前习惯了用illustrator，所以在使用PS的时候特别不习惯，效率很低。这几天在网上找到了这篇文章，发上来和大家分享一下，希望自己多多努力，能有些进步吧！

1 Start with something

I know this might sound obvious but you need to have something like some drawings, sketches, or an image rather than just a white page. Otherwise you will end up doing the same effects every time you try do design something. Get inspiration from sites like Flickr, there are some very good photoshop groups. Or just look for inspiration on the web. Below are some inspirational links. 2007 inspiration

10 Photoshop Masters

Masters of Illustration - Smashingmagazine

12 Invaluable Sites for Web Design and Design Inspiration

2007 Graphic Design Inspiration

2 Don't be dissappointed

Don't be dissappointed when your image or effect is not turning out the way you want, keep working. That happens with me all the time. When I first start designing, usually I get frustrated that my design is not becoming exactly what I had in mind. However it turns out that after I have all elements in my design it's easier to make it look the way I want.

3 Try to recreate the effects you like.

Every time I find an image that has an effect I like I save it and try to create that effect in Photoshop. The Fire effect I did trying to reproduce an Nike ad, and the gold effect when I saw a Jewelry Ad as well.

4 Read tutorials before start doing your design.

We usually go straight to Photoshop and try to figure out how to do the effect, it's nice but we can save a lot of time if we get some clues or ways to do that before we start the Photoshop work. There are very good sites where you can learn how to create all sorts of effects from gold text to glowing effects.

pixel2life.com

good-tutorials.com

psdtuts.com

veerle

100 Photoshop Tutorials

5 Learn how to use Masks.

I know this might sound odd but there are a lot of people that don't understand how to use Masks. So stop deleting parts of your image and start masking them. There's a very cool video that shows us how to learn Masks

6 Play around with filters

You can do all kinds of effects with them from blur to lighting effects. The most fascinating thing is if you mix some filter you always get a new result, like the Render Clouds.

7 Spend some time learning the Layer Styles

Layer Style is one of the most useful features in Photoshop. You can create amazing text effects without applying any filter or even touching the font.

8 Brush Engine

To be honest I had never payed much attention to this feature until 6 months ago when I was creating a falling star. After that moment I simply cant stop using it. You can create sparks, stars, clouds, and unlimited number of shapes. You can make your brush random or uniform, with different colors and opacity, and I could go on and on because the possibilities are endless

Very good video explaining how the Brush Engine works

Photoshop Brushes - Lynda.com

9 Listen and watch podcasts

I think podcasts are an excellent way to learn Photoshop. The Pixel Perfect with Bert Monroy is definitely a must see podcast if you want to learn Photoshop and Illustrator.

List of Photoshop Podcasts

Adobe Photoshop Quicktips - Video Podcast

10 Share what you have learned with everybody

I think when we learn something there's nothing wrong in sharing our skills. Besides of the fact that you can help others, you can promote your work and even get money from writing tutorials. Psdtuts.com pays you for each tutorial you write and then publish it if selected.

Your Design Forums

PSDTUTS - They pay you for tutorials

Flickr

Deviantart

Tags - tutorial , design , photoshop

Serverines Olympic Graphics

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:59:48 +0000

很久没有发自己的作品了，这段时间在为工作忙碌，也没有什么实质性的作品，索性就发点去年业余时间做的作品吧。这是为Serverine画的奥运插图，一共12张，当时画得比较仓促，可能有些色彩的搭配不是很理想，大家先凑合看吧。配合一下最近的奥运火炬传递活动！

PS：请不要说什么"版权"之类的无聊话题，设计作品只为学习交流，不做任何商务用途。如果转载请注明出处。

Tags - illustrations , design , olympic

Connection 第5期浪漫法国[I]

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:24:22 +0000

The free donwload url:
http://ezine.newwebpick.com/connection
Tags - connection , newwebpick , web , design

icon设计过程中需要注意的10种错误

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:53:11 +0000

一篇不错的文章，介绍了在icon设计过程中需要注意的10种错误，对于ui设计者来说，非常值得一看。
It is much easier to criticize somebody else’s work than to create something cool yourself. But if you apply a systematic approach to criticizing, make a numbered list and prepare illustrations, it will be regarded as a fully-fledged analysis! In my opinion, icon design is undergoing a transitional period. On the one hand, screen resolutions are increasing, hence enhancing icons. On the other hand, we still have good old pixels. Icons sized 16×16 and even smaller are still widely used. And so, here are the most commonly observed mistakes in icon design…

批评别人的作品比自己制作一个优秀的作品要容易得多。但如果你使用一个有系统的方式去批评，列出项目清单并准备好插图，它就会被认为是个成熟的分析！在我看来，图标设计正经历着一个过渡阶段。一方面，屏幕分辨率在增长，因此要提高图标品质。另一方面，我们仍拥有好的旧款图素。16X16乃至于更小的图标仍在被广泛使用。所以，这里为大家介绍一下在图标设计中很容易被观察到的错误。

1 Insufficient differentiation between icons/图标间差异不充分

Sometimes within one set of icons, we have icons that look alike and it is very hard to understand what is what. If you miss the legends, you can very easily get the icons mixed up.
有时，在一套图标中，我们的一些图标看起来很像，这让人很难分辨出哪个是哪个。如果你不注意说明，你会很容易把这些图标混在一起。

Icons from the Utilities section in Mac OS X. I am always getting them confused and launching the wrong application.
MacOS X中的图标。我经常把他们搞混以致选错程序。

The problem is aggravated by having small size icons displayed on screen.
问题在显示小图标时变得更严重。

2 Too many elements in one icon / 图标中元素过多

The simpler and more laconic the icon, the better. It is preferable to keep the number of objects in a single icon to a minimum.
图标越简单、简洁，就越好。把一个图标中的元素控制到尽可能少的数量是很可取的。

Nevertheless, Microsoft’s designers, inspired by the new format of icons featured in Windows Vista, decided to go big and drew bloated icons to justify their bloated budget:
然而，微软的设计师们，受到windows vista新的图标设计特征的启示，决定设计巨大、肿胀的图标来证明他们拥有庞大的预算。

Each icon presents us with a mini-story with an intertwined plot. The problem is that in small size you are unable to work out what is depicted. Even in larger sizes, it is not always that easy to decipher the icons.
每个图标用复杂的构图给我们展现出微小的信息，问题在于在使用小图标时你无法搞清它在描述什么。甚至使用在大图标时，有时也不是那么容易搞清图标的含义。

3 Unnecessary elements / 不必要的元素

An icon should be easy to read. The fewer elements it has, the better. It is better if the whole image is relevant and not only part of it. Therefore, you have to pay attention to the context of using icons.
图标应该被轻松识读。图标元素越少越好。最好让整个图像具有相关性，而不是只是一部分。因此，你必须注意使用这些图标的环境。

Let us take for instance some database icons:
让我们看看数据库中图标的例子：

At first glance everything looks alright.
一眼扫过，没什么问题。

But if this application (or a separate toolbar) deals only with databases, we can (and should) remove the unnecessary part:
但是如果这个应用程序（或者独立工具栏）仅仅与数据库有关，你可以（也理应）去掉不必要的部分：

The sense is not lost here but the icons become much more discernible.
含义没有丢失，可是图标更好辨识了。

Here is a real-life example of unnecessary elements occurring in BeOS 5 icons:
这是个BeOS5图标中使用不必要元素的鲜活例子：

Ticks here are absolutely superfluous. By the way, why are they done in red?
这里的对号绝对多余，另外，它们为什么是红色的？

4 Lack of unity of style within a set of icons / 一套图标的风格缺乏一致性

It is a unity of style that unites several icons into a set. The uniting property can be any of the following: color scheme, perspective, size, drawing technique or a combination of several such properties. If there are only a few icons in the set, the designer can keep some rules in his head. If there are many icons in the set and there are several designers working on them (for instance, icons for an operating system), then special instructions are created. Such instructions describe in detail how to draw an icon so that it fits straight into the set.
图标风格上的一致使得多个图标称为一套。一致性可以是以下的任何一种。色彩设计、透视、大小、绘画技巧或以上多种的结合。如果一套中只有一些图标，那么设计者可以把一些规则记在脑中。可是如果一套中有许多图标，或者有好几个设计者在绘制（比如制作操作系统的图标），那么就要制定一些特别的规则。这些规则需要从细节描述如何绘制图标，从而使其契合这个系列。

A multitude of styles in the shell32.dll file in Windows XP. This is the default set of icons suggested to a user wishing to change an icon.
WindowsXP中的shell32.dll文件中有大量风格，这是给希望更换图标的用户提供的默认图标

5 Unnecessary perspective and shadows in small icons / 小图标中使用不必要的透视和阴影

Progress does not stand still: interfaces have gained the potential to display semi-transparent objects, lost the limitation on the number of colors and there is now a trend towards 3D icons. But is it really all that useful? Not always! Especially if we are talking about icons sized 16×16 or smaller.
事物一直在发展：界面中已经可以呈现出半透明物体了。没有了颜色使用数量的限制，目前有向3D图标发展的趋势。可是，这真的有用吗？不一定！尤其是在16X16乃至更小的图标中。

For example, let us take the application manager from GNOME 2.2.0 (RedHat 9):
举例来说，让我们看看GNOME 2.2.0 (RedHat 9)的应用程序管理器。

Perspective in icons of such minute size is unnecessary and even counter-productive.
在这么小的图标中使用透视画法没有必要，甚至是事与愿违

And here is the application manager from Windows XP:
这是XP的应用程序管理器

As standard, icons in Windows XP are given a two-pixel black shadow; but in 16×16 size the shadow appears too large and makes the icons look dirty. The Address Book icon looks especially bad in this set.
作为标准，XP中的图标是用了2个像素的阴影，但是在16X16的图标中，这种阴影显得太大了，而且让图标显得很脏。地址簿在这种形式中显得特别差。

6 Overly original metaphors / 过于原创的隐喻

Selecting what is to be displayed in an icon is always a compromise between recognizability and originality. Before a metaphor (image) is developed for an icon it is wise to see how it is done in other products. Maybe the best solution lies not in coming up with something original but rather in adopting the existing solution.
在选择图标要表现的内容时，要兼顾易识别性和原创性。在一个隐喻（比喻）使用前，看看它在其他产品中的表现是明智的。也许最好的方式不是选择原创而是接受已有的方法。

An example of excessive originality is the bin icon in OS/2 Warp 4, which is not actually a bin at all but a shredder.
OS/2 Warp4中回收站的过度创意就是一个例子。它实际上不是一个回收站，而是一个碎纸机。

Another problem with choosing a shredder is that there is no one well-known type of shredder out there. The icon appears very much like a printer with an octopus hidden inside. What is more, it is absolutely unclear how a full bin would be displayed according to this metaphor.
选择碎纸机的另一个问题是，并没有一个类型著名的碎纸机。这个图标看起来很像藏着章鱼的打印机。而且，在这个创意中，满了的回收站难以表现出来。

7 National or social characteristics not being taken into account / 没有考虑国家和社会特征

It is always necessary to take into account the conditions in which your icon is going to be used. An important aspect here is national characteristics. Cultural traditions, surroundings and gestures can differ radically from country to country.
考虑到你的图标将被运用到的环境是十分必要的。一个重要的方面就是国家特征。文化传统，环境，手势在不同国家的意思可能完全不同。

Let us suggest that we need to draw an icon for working with e-mail. It makes perfect sense to use a metaphor of real paper mail. A mailbox for example.
让我们设想一下，如果我们要画一个关于电子邮件的图标。使用一个真实邮箱的创意是绝好的。例如以下邮箱：

These images are courtesy of the Wikipedia article entitled Post box.
这些邮箱图片选自维基辞典。

The answer can be found in the manual on creating icons for Mac OS X: "Use universal imagery that people will easily recognize. Avoid focusing on a secondary aspect of an element. For example, for a mail icon, a rural mailbox would be less recognizable than a postage stamp.
答案可以在MacOS X图标创作指南中找到。“使用可以被轻松识读出的全球通用图像。避免注重在一个元素的次要方面。例如：一个电子邮件图标，使用一个乡村邮筒比使用一枚邮票难认。

The idea of using a stamp is great but the use of the eagle red-tailed hawk image is definitely questionable.
使用一个邮票的创意很好，可是使用一个红尾鵟的图像显然是有问题的。

However, you need to account not only for national features… That reminds me of something funny. Once, we needed an icon for a data filter, which is often portrayed using the metaphor of a funnel. It was drawn like this:[
然而，你不仅仅要考虑国家元素。这让我想到了一些有趣的事。曾经，我们需要一个数据过滤器的图标。它一般被做成一个漏斗。它是这样画的：/color]

[color=#A0522D]The client’s response was as follows: "I do not really understand why for a filter, you drew an icon shaped like a Martini glass!"
委托人这样表示：“我难以理解到它是一个过滤器，你画了一个形状类似马提尼酒杯的图标。”

8 Images of real interface elements in icons / 在图标中单纯使用界面化图标

The manual on creating icons for Mac OS X warns us: “Avoid using Aqua interface elements in your icons; they could be confused with the actual interface.” But all in vain! For instance, take a look at the following icon:
MacOS X的图标创作指南告诉我们：“避免在你的图标中使用Mac Aqua界面元素。他们会对真正的界面元素感到困惑。”但一切都是徒劳。比如说，看看下面的图标：

You reach out to click on the radio button but end up clicking the whole icon!
你本要单击图标，可是结果点击了整个图标。

Here is an interesting example from the OmniWeb browser interface:
这是OmniWeb浏览器界面的有趣例子：

Pay attention to the Previous and Next buttons, a rare type of button with legends underneath. Oops! They are not buttons at all, they are icons!
注意向前和向后的按钮，少见的有说明文字在下面的图标。哦！它们根本不是按钮，他们是图标！

9 Text inside icons / 图标中的文字

This mistake is commonly seen in application icons. Clearly the first thing that comes to mind when working on an application icon is to adapt the application’s logo. What is so bad about the text inside the icon? Firstly, it is directly language-related and so impedes localization. Secondly, if the icon is small, it is impossible to read the text. Thirdly, in the case of application icons, this text is repeated in the name of the application.
这个错误在应用程序图标中很常见。明显，当使用一个应用程序图标时首先跃入脑海的是应用程序的logo。把文字放到图标里多不好啊！首先，它受限于语言而阻碍了本土化。其次，如果图标很小，读出文字就很难。第三，在有应用程序图标存在的情况下，这个文字在应用程序名字中重复了。

10 Outside the pixel framework / 边沿像素

As a rule, this problem occurs if you use a vector editor for drawing icons. In large size everything looks pretty and clear; but in reality the icons are small, and under rasterization anti-aliasing frets the objects’ borders.
作为一个规则，这个问题在你使用矢量绘图工具绘图时存在。在大的尺寸下，每样都很美丽和清楚。但实际上这些图标很小，并且物体边沿需要完成反锯齿栅格化处理。

可以与PS相媲美的5个苹果软件

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:37:07 +0000

Deciding on an alternative for Photoshop depends a lot on what you use Photoshop for. There are five apps that will give you some information about that are trying to compete head to head with Photoshop. Though if you have more targeted image creation needs there are some apps that may even be a better option than Photoshop.

1. GIMP: A Great Photoshop Alternative and It's Open Source

Gimp has a strong user community that supports its product, and a large feature set, though it has a different interface and way of doing things than Photoshop.

For those used to doing things in Photoshop, but who are interested in checking out this free software, look into Gimpshop. It's a modification of Gimp that is similar to Photoshop's user interface.

Download Gimp

2. Pixelmator: Young Application Though Growing Strong

Wow, their website is beautiful. You shouldn't buy software based solely on its brand design, but let's face it, it sure does help. Pixelmator is a young application, but has a growing set of features. For example, in their 1.1 release version, code named kitten, they've just added tablet based pressure sensitivity support. They have active forums, a downloadable manual for their product, and some juice moving them forward fast. Watch out for this app.

Download Pixelmator Trial

3. Corel Paint Shop Pro X2: Robust Application with Long Term Development History

PSP X2 is mainly targeted at photo editors. Though it has many features that a Photoshop user is used to, it is just a fraction of the price.

The new graphite workspace theme of X2 looks great and has a modern elegant feel. Corel is a large respected company and continues to develop PSP so you don't need to worry about this vanishing one day.

They have built in documentation for the products as well as online community support. They also have an option to test drive the product in your browser. I tried it and it worked well to evaluate, but of course that depends on your connection speed.

Download PSP X2 Trial

4. PhotoLine: Lots of Features but Lacks That Mac Like Feel

Photoline is positioned as a Photoshop alternative, it is a commercial app with a large feature set. Its fast, powerful, and stable. But a few issues that would make me hesitate before investing any time into the software. Their website lacks that professional feel that makes you feel confident about the software your buying. Their forums don't appear to be very active. Macapper does however give them high ratings and there is a Photoline Review there. Photoline has a few features where it may edge out Photoshop that are pointed out in this review, so it's worth a read.

Download Photoline Trial

5. Pixel Image Editor - Lone Developer Application

Pavel Kanzelsberger has been developing Pixel Image Editor in his spare time for the last eight years, and as we know from the popular Textmate, sometimes these lone developer apps can be great. Pixel looks like it'll deliver the goods too. There is a wide range of tools, lots of layers, effects and workspace options. I tried to follow a link to the Wiki and Forums and it went nowhere. So, no guarantee with community support on this one.

Download Pixel Trial

Tags - photoshop , software

ZCOOL官方的杂志《站酷志·零柒》面世

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 05:22:27 +0000

本期是站酷的创刊号，这本电子杂志共230页，24位国内设计师参与，整体的形式有点《newwebpick》的感觉。这次iconfans论坛的加盟设计师们作为GUI设计专版出现其中。期待他们做得更好！不过，目前好像没有mac版本的，有点遗憾。

杂志下载页面：
http://zmag.zcool.com.cn/z...

Tags - zcool , ui , book , newwebpick , magazine

Mark Olivers illustration World

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:13:51 +0000

Mark Oliver是英国深受小朋友们喜爱的插图画家，他的作品轻松、诙谐、幽默、充满了想像力，因此许多的出版公司约他为儿童图书作画。我非常喜欢他的矢量风格的作品，造型可爱、构思巧妙。

These pages are dedicated to Mark Oliver's work for children's books.

Tags - illustrations

2010年加拿大温哥华冬季奥运会吉祥物设计

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 01:35:39 +0000

2010年温哥华冬季奥运会组委会吉祥物当地时间11月27日揭晓。第一代华裔移民黄慧琪等根据卑诗省神话传说所创作的3个卡通形象成功入选。

冬奧会吉祥物的名字分别是：米加(Miga，原住民神话中的北极熊)、魁特奇(Quatchi，北美大脚野人)；而冬季残奥会的吉祥物则是名叫苏米(Sumi ，戴着虎鲸帽子的动物保护神)。另外还有一个陪衬吉祥物Mukmuk(一种稀有的温哥华岛土拨鼠)。Mukmuk并不是官方的正式吉祥物，但会在一些场合出现。

27日一早，温哥华冬奥筹委会与大温地区素里市800多名小学生一起揭开了吉祥物的面纱。此前，吉祥物形象一直属于高度机密。与北京2008年夏季奥运会相似，筹委会也选择了用一组而非一个吉祥物来阐释温哥华冬奥会。

据介绍，这三个形象的设计者是温哥华本土的设计公司——米奧米设计公司(Meomi Design)，其中一位设计师为第一代华裔移民黄慧琪。这3个吉祥物都不是真实存在的动物，而是来源于加拿大的传说。Miga的灵感来自于加拿大土著民族的传说，它是一只会滑雪板的北极熊。Quatchi是一只有着长胡子，戴着蓝色御寒耳罩的大怪物。不过可别被这个名字吓住了，它其实非常害羞，非常温柔。它的设计意图是希望能把加拿大的自然与神秘和奇迹联系到一起。Sumi则是用雷鸟的翅膀飞行的一只动物精灵，它肩负着温哥华残奥会吉祥物的使命。

温哥华冬奥筹委会一共收到了178份建议。在选择期间，咨询了许多小孩子的意见，最终由这三只可爱的动物胜出。筹委会希望吉祥物会受到全世界儿童的欢迎。接下来，吉祥物的形象会出现在冬奥会的宣传广告、官方网站和出版物中，并且会制作成胸章、填充动物等等。

Quatchi is a young sasquatch who comes from the mysterious forests of Canada. Quatchi is shy, but loves to explore new places and meet new friends. Although Quatchi loves all winter sports, he’s especially fond of hockey. He dreams of becoming a world-famous goalie.

Sumi is an animal spirit who lives in the mountains of British Columbia. Like many Canadians, Sumi's background is drawn from many places. He wears the hat of the orca whale, flies with the wings of the mighty thunderbird and runs on the strong furry legs of the black bear.

Miga is a young sea bear who lives in the ocean with her family pod, out past Vancouver Island near Tofino, British Columbia. Sea bears are part killer whale and part bear. Miga is part Kermode bear, a rare white bear that only lives in British Columbia.

Tags - poster , illustrations , mascot , olympic , vancouver , 2010

Connection杂志第4期——德国之夜

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:59:56 +0000

本期内容

Germany Night

A international web designer union and community of international web designers, is one globe designing information focusing on the website designing.

下载链接

Tags - newwebpick , connection , design , web , magazine

Dalian Shide FC icons Design

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:33:17 +0000

这是我设计的一套关于足球的系统图标。因为工作很忙，所以制作的周期比较长，断断续续的，大概花了两个月的时间，其中个别几个图标是很复杂的，比如球鞋、摄像机、足球等。希望大家对我能提些宝贵的意见和建议，毕竟这是我第一次制作icon设计，还需要很多经验。

有几个图标还是有一些小创意的，我一直希望设计的东西能有独特的地方，同时又具有易用性，使理念和实用性达到最佳的标准。

These icons are inspired by Dalian Shide football team, which is one of my favorite teams. I used Adobe illustrator for this creation. Any comments and suggestions are welcome.

Tags - football , design , icon , dalian , ui

Who are they?

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 02:18:03 +0000

乌拉圭报纸《La Diaria》的广告。画面效果有点像点彩。
把图片缩小或者离显示屏远一点，你就能看出其中的奥妙来。

Reality is complex. To understand it, you have to keep some distance. La Diaria. The independent newspaper.

Client: La Diaria Newspaper
Agency: Corporacion JWT, Montevideo
Copywriter: Leandro Gomez / Manuel Amorin
Art Director: Leonardo Varela

画面里出现的四个形象分别是：教皇、赖斯、卡斯特罗和拉登。
文案的大意是：现实情况是复杂的。要了解它，你要保持一定的距离。

Tags - illustrations , poster

Blog Design

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 03:23:45 +0000

最近为设计部做了一个博客，是根据wordpress的模版修改的，自己局部修改了一些简单的css语言。虽然是简单的调整也足够把我忙坏了，因为我对编程的语言可是知之甚少。有机会一定好好研究研究，争取能独立设计一套模版！

大家有时间可以去看看，刚刚建好，需要人气！

http://blog.fltrp.com/shej...

Tags - web , css , html

guilherme marconi的作品

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:33:07 +0000

Guilherme Marconi 是巴西的插画设计师，他的插画作品，色彩绚丽明快，线条优美流畅，元素很丰富。
我发现巴西的插图产业还真繁荣，有好多自由插画者，不知道中国的插图市场什么时候能像人家那样规范。Guilherme Marconi的作品大多是矢量勾出来，说明他是个很细心的画家，能把握好这么多复杂的元素实在不易。

Tags - illustrations

芬兰插图师Sanna Annukka的作品

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 07:19:57 +0000

Sanna Annukka是一个喜爱自然和民俗的插画家和平面设计师。在芬兰的一个名为Paltaniemi的村庄2005年7月Sanna Annukka从英国布赖顿(Brighton)大学毕业，拿到绘图(荣誉)学士学位。在完成了大学学业后，她开始了丝网印刷。在此期间她创建了一系列的名为《我是少女》限量版的丝网作品。现在Sanna Annukka在伦敦的Islington一个叫Hygge的设计商店开始卖自己的印刷作品。

Tags - illustrations , book

07篮球世锦赛海报

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:09:38 +0000

2007年欧洲篮球锦标赛的海报，很有创意吧？四支夺冠的热门球队西班牙、德国、希腊、立陶宛。不过，有意思的是最后拿到冠军的是基里连科率领的俄罗斯队

Tags - basketball , poster

Severine’s Icons Design

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 07:49:58 +0000

这些icon画得很辛苦，基本上是在工作的时候抽空画的，有时候因为画得与本人不像，所以经常改来改去的。原本打算做成小图标用于本站的表情，以感谢Severine送给我的这个域名，但是后来发现图标变小后，有些看不清了，所以只好先放弃了这个想法。

btw，由于画人物的肖像实在难度太高，所以今后不会再为朋友们制作画像了，希望大家理解。
Tags - icon , illustrations , ui