It's not Spongebob; It's Breakfast

With the highest paid circulation of any printed magazine--6.1 million--Reader's Digest hopes to make a strong entry into the digital domain with its iPad edition, just announced today. The first issue, out in March, will feature automatically-updated online content plus iPad-only content and videos. Reader's Digest joins a growing list of publications that offer content in an all-electronic and predominantly-visual form, signaling a new revolution in the publishing industry whereby content is separated from traditional media.

Explore your Career Choices at America's Career InfoNet

Explore your career choices at America's Career InfoNet:

Web Graphic Designers

Art Directors

Advertising and Promotions Managers

Reporters and Correspondents

Broadcast News Analysts

ABC's My Generation to Interact with Audience's iPads

Getting ready for ABC's My Generation? It premieres Thursday, September 23rd. It's not really my generation--you'd have to go back to the Class of 1983. But the first-of-its-kind show makes extensive use of the audience's Apple iPads for enhanced interactivity. Get the free app from the Apple App Store.

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If you have a computer with a video camera, try out the TomTom Star Wars Game. Use the Force to lift a plasma TV without touching the mouse or the keyboard! This is an excellent example of a Flash-based game website.

iPad Coming Soon to Stores, Only Not for Sale

The April 21st online issue of Ad Age predicts an important new use for the Apple iPad--as personal shopping assistant for retail stores. According to the article, "in time, the iPad could be used as a virtual sales assistant, allowing sales staff in the dress department to pull up coordinating accessories from the jewelry or shoe department."

Retailers still would have to work out logistical problems, such as how to keep them from walking out the door, but the benefits to retail sales make the iPad attractive to retailers.

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So You Need a Typeface?

Thanks go to my past MDC student Chelo for sending me this typeface selection chart. Take it with a grain of salt, as there are other choices beside Metro if you don't like Futura. :-)


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USAToday's Video Review of the iPad

Graphic Design Intern Wanted

Good morning! I have a paid internship, 20-hours per week position for one of your students. I am looking for an intern with strong writing skills, graphic design, and video production. If any of your students is interested, please send me their resume or portfolio.
Thanks,
Vladimir Díaz
Acting Deputy Director
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Hispanic-Serving Institutions National Program
305-237-8550 www.HSI.USDA.gov

Graphic Design Intern Wanted

Company
Two Parrot Productions is a video production company specializing in online video marketing. Our principal projects are international assignments with a focus on NGO and humanitarian aid for organizations such as the World Bank. The company has been featured on CNN for its contribution to non-profit organizations around the world.

The Viral Pulse consults, trains and produces video for corporate clients such as Moet Hennessy USA, Hyatt Hotels, LXR Luxury Resorts, Touch Restaurant & Catering, Math Monkey, and MAC.

Primary Functions
You will design and draft creative marketing materials on behalf of our companies and our clients. Projects may include tri-fold brochures, postcards, e-book layouts, photo compositing, 3D logo design and layout for online graphics for our video interface. Ability to create simple Flash animations will win you big brownie points.

Requirements
Impressive Portfolio
Experience with Adobe Flash is a BIG BONUS. Good listener, reliable, creative, sensitive to deadlines, responsive, flexible, and eager to please.

As needed on a per project basis. Looking for a 6-month commitment of about 20 hours/month.

Compensation
Students receive hands on experience with real world clients and projects, and training directly from the managing director. This is an unpaid internship, and Two Parrot will allow you to use any artwork you create as part of your portfolio. In addition, we write damn good letters of reccomendation.

Contact
(Looking to fill position immediately)

Jessica Kizorek
Chief Bad-Ass In Charge
jessica@twoparrot.com
Cell: 630-835-4811

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Web Graphic Design Intern Needed

My name is Sergio, the Product Manager of Nettingsolutions. We are an interactive marketing agency with offices in Miami, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia.

We are starting a new web/mobile development project, and we are looking to hire a graphic design intern for our Miami office.

The job qualifications are the following:

- Adobe Creative Suite
- HTML
- CSS
- Flash (Nice to have)

Thanks and I look forward to your feedback.

Sergio

Sergio Prieto
Product Manager
1790 Coral Way, Suite 202, Miami, FL 33145
Tel: (305) 285-1380 Ext. 206
Sergio@NettingSolutions.com

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Graphic Designer Paid Internship Opportunity

LightfootCorp is seeking (2) Student Graphic Designers for a paid Internship Consultant opportunity. Interns must be available for the next 3-6 weeks. We have a souviner journal project for immediate completion for a client. Interns must have a great working knowledge of InDesign and Photoshop and webdesign is a plus. Interns must have thier own laptop/personal computer (although PC and Mac are onsite. - Storage devices will be provided at no cost to the interns). Interns must have own reliable transportation.

This intership opportunity is perfect for the student who has classes in the day and needs a paying part-time real life business project opportunity in the evenings and on weekends. Interviewing for (2) internship positions for this Saturday and Sunday ONLY. Internship starts Monday evening, March 15th. This project is hands on and interns must be able and ready to hit the ground running. Please call to set up and interview appointment with Rochelle Lightfoot Johnson at 786-285-7448.

Internship Position Details:
Title: Graphic Designer Internship Consultant
Start Date: March 15, 2010 for approximately 3 weeks or 65 hours period)
Hours: Part-Time Evenings M-F (6:30 - 10:30 PM) and Weekends (Flexible TBD)
Pay Rate: $9.00 hrly. - Weekly pay.
Environment: Positive - Casual Dress

Things to bring to the interview - InDesign/Graphic Project and Resume. Thank you.

Rochelle Lightfoot Johnson| Chief Operations Officer
LightfootCorp, LLC | North Miami Beach, Florida
786-285-7448 | 786-627-3112 fax
rochelle.lightfootcorp.com


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Visual Lightbox--Two Thumbs-up for Ease of Use

Ever wanted to create a thumbnail gallery of images, but Dreamweaver's rollover behaviors seem a little played-out? Flash's ActionScript is a little too difficult to write? I recently found Visual Lightbox, a tool for effortlessly building beautiful thumbnail galleries with absolutely no coding! Unlike jQuery Lightbox, which requires you to do some HTML coding, VL couldn't be easier! I re-did my web portfolio using VL and it's beautiful! Take a look and tell me what you think.


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Hot Jobs in a Flash

I just came across this Miami Herald article from last November, but felt it should be included here. Steve Cucinotta, a 27-year-old web designer who works in Hollywood-based web design firm Sapient, talks about his education and job opportunities in the field. Like I always say, pick a career you will enjoy so it won't feel like work, but rather play.

Cucinotta said, "Everyone here is just very warm and welcoming. And that to me is the biggest thing. It feels like I'm going to hang out with my friends and do work while I'm here. I don't see it as a job. I see it as a place to go and learn."

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Converting your Photoshop Website to HTML/CSS

Best practices for modern web site design call for small, easily downloadable files. If you're still using Photoshop to build websites using slices, your sites will not be compliant with WCAG 2.0 standards. Designbeep.com offers today 38 tutorials for converting your Photoshop-created website to HTML/CSS.

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Five Reasons to Learn HTML and CSS

Mike Kus posted an informative blog article yesterday. He gives five good reasons to learn HTML and CSS, and I might add ActionScript 3. Among the benefits: more job opportunities will open up for you.


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Internship Opportunity

We are looking for a graphic/web design student for an internship position in our company: Channel 41, America TeVe. Our TV station is located at Hialeah Gardens, Miami, Florida.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through e-mail or by phone at (305) 592-4141, ext 405.

Best regards,
Michelle Charosky

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Web Designer Needed

A full time position is open at Britto Central for a Web Designer to upload pictures and maintain the website on a daily basis.

This would be great for a web designer to begin their career at britto central, and they can also meet Romero Britto in person. Please this is HUGE!!!

Anyone can reach me at my website: http://www.wix.com/avdesign/ALEX-VERNAZA if any questions...

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Maxim, GQ and Esquire Publish Digital Editions

I expect that when the iPad is available for sale, more books, magazines and newspapers will begin to publish fully-digital editions. Today's Advertising Age ran an article mentioning that Maxim, GQ and Esquire currently have digital editions for the iPhone, but who wants to see beautiful women on a small 3-inch screen?

Still, choices at the moment are rather limited. Nat Ives wrote, "the magazine industry remains some distance from its current dream of fully stocked and popular digital newsstands."

The iPad brings hope for a revitalized publishing industry, focusing on content, unshackled by financial burdens, as well as offering a greener lifestyle.

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The Future of Publishing

Last week, Apple announced the iPad, a large, beautiful 9.7-inch touch sensitive reader. In case you're not thinking of buying one, read this article appearing in today's Ad Age.

The Apple iPad and similar technologies will be the future of publishing. Printing on paper consumes the earth's resources and strains publishers' economic resources.

Phil Johnson wrote, "The iPad represents Apple's vote of confidence for the future of books, newspapers and magazines. Apple shows every intention of doing for text-based content what it did for music with iTunes."

As printing and publishing undergo an evolution to the next level, we as graphic designers must keep up with this transformative and empowering technology.

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T-Shirt Company Seeks Mac Artists

A dynamic Miami-based t-shirt company is seeking graphic design interns to come up with fresh & creative ideas for t-shirts for Men's, Women's & Children's tees. We're looking for artists who are proficient in Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator, and MAC user interface.

Interns will be required to do the following:

• Brainstorm for original ideas
• Create art work
• Work under tight deadlines
• Juggle multiple projects simultaneously
• Be a team player
• Follow directions
• Must have a sense of humor and not be easily offended

Screenprint experience a plus.

Must be local-based as job is full-time.

Please submit samples of work along with resume by email as we are not able to see walk-ins.

Send resume and samples of work to Sarahstephenson@bellsouth.net and Lizvarela@bellsouth.net

Thanks,
Liz Varela
TShirt Central
(305) 622-6760 x:112
(305) 622-6763 Fax

TYPOGRAPHY

Typographic Errors in Media

Thanks to my FIU student Tatiana for sending me this November 15th article from the New York Times spotlighting various anachronistic errors in typography in media.

My favorite is the label of the steam pressure gauge seen in James Cameron's Titanic, which is set in Helvetica, a font that wouldn't have been designed until 45 years later!

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities for Interactive Marketing Specialists Available

BTG Partners has two openings in Miami and three in Chicago for Interactive Marketing Managers, Strategists and Designers.

EXTRACURRICULAR ASSIGNMENT

MDC Graphic Design Student Wanted for AXIS Magazine

Want a great portfolio project that will demonstrate you can work in a professional setting? Are you passionate about art, photography, poetry and literature? AXIS Creative Arts Magazine is looking for a talented graphic design student to design Volume 7 of this nationally-recognized, award-winning student publication. Volumes 4 through 6 are linked below.

If you're interested in participating, please contact Elio Arteaga at elio.arteaga@mdc.edu.

JOB OPPORTUNITY
Mac Artist Needed
Looking for a student who can make minor adjustments on cosmetic labels. The labels were originally designed on a iMac in Adobe Illustrator. I changed it to the PC version but for printing purposes sizes needs to be adjusted for package changes.

1. ADDRESS AND SIZE CHANGES
2. TM SYMBOL NEEDS TO CHANGE TO (R) REGRSTERED SYMBOL.
3. LOGO COLOR NEED TO BE CONVERTED TO CYMK COLOR INSTEAD OF PANTONE COLORS.
4. UPC numbers need to be changed

Christiana Phillip
18495 S. Dixie Hyw, Ste #243
Cutler Bay, FL 33157
1-877-918-SKIN (7546)
http://www.skinprofile.com

TYPOGRAPHY
Critics Slam Ikea for Catalog Typography
The Associated Press reported Aug. 30th on Ikea's decision to switch their catalog's typography for the first time in 50 years. The Swiss furniture retailer was criticized for their new choice of font, replacing the time-honored Futura with Verdana, a font designed by Microsoft with wide, open letters designed to increase readability on small computer screens. Reactions ranged from, "It's a sad day," to "words can't describe my disgust."

Ikea spokesperson Camilla Meiby said, "Verdana is a simple, cost-effective font that works well in all media." Ikea needed a font that worked well in both digital and print media. Personally, I like Verdana, and I prize its open counters and clear legibility.

NEWS
Herald Prints Article about SEDT
The Miami Herald ran an August 2nd article, titled "Learning the Business of Entertainment," about Miami Dade College School of Entertainment & Design Technology as part of a series on educational opportunities in South Florida. My photo appears in the article, which can also be read online. Extra special thanks go to my FIU student Kurt for obtaining a copy of the newspaper for me.

INDUSTRY TRENDS
New Media Revolution
When I started college 25 years ago, the graphics industry was beginning to undergo a revolution fueled by new technology. Pre-1984, the pre-press workforce consisted of specialists—designers, typographers, illustrators, layout artists, paste-up artists, graphic arts photographers, and film assembly technicians. With the advent of the Macintosh Plus computer, Apple LaserWriter printers, Adobe PostScript page description language, and Aldus PageMaker page layout software, the specialists needed to become generalists. One person could now do the work of several, and many job descriptions were eliminated. Graphic designers adapted, and for the past quarter-century, they could be successful with only knowledge of print.

Today, the industry is undergoing a new revolution—this one, not fueled by new technology, but by the economy. When one comes to think of it, print is a 19th century technology. Paper has to be harvested from trees, then milled, printed on, assembled, stored in warehouses, and then shipped on trucks, incurring financial expenses as well as drawing upon the Earth's resources. As we are in a verbally literate society, quickly transitioning to a visually literate one, most people prefer to obtain their news from cable or satellite television networks, or from the Web. Large print shops have closed in the Miami area (and all across the country). Newspapers and magazines have announced layoffs and cutbacks.

But it's not all doom and gloom. There are still many opportunities for graphic designers who know print, Web and video. It’s easy to find creative graphic designers for print. It’s also easy to find good video production technicians. It’s not easy to find a creative person who can apply that creativity equally to print, Web and video. Therefore, the successful graphic designer will be fluent in Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark or InDesign, but also in Dreamweaver, Flash, After Effects and maybe even Final Cut.

Print will never totally go away, just like radio hasn’t been completely replaced by television. However, the current trend in communications technology is toward all-electronic, and predominantly visual media. If you’re entering school now, you’re getting in on the ground floor of this media revolution. If you’ve been around for a few years, it would be of benefit to learn the software and technology that drives electronic media, and embrace the changes that will affect visual communications in the 21st century.

VIDEO

Why is the Sky Blue?

Normally, I say thanks to my student for sending me a link, but in this case, my FIU student Sebastian actually produced this video and posted it on YouTube. Thanks, Sebastian!

JOB OPPORTUNITY
Graphic Artist Wanted
Please pass this employment possibility on to some of our more advanced students in graphics. Steve from Nationwide Printing @ 117th and 120 St. SW is looking for a couple of graphics students to hire. I didn’t get all of the details regarding what the students should know or be capable of producing. It probably would be a good idea for one of you to speak with Steve (305-971-5184) to get those details. It would be great to be able to help any of our students land a job. Thanks for your assistance. Bill

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Graphic Designers Wanted for Toy Company

The Creative Director at Safari Ltd, a local company dedicated to manufacturing and selling educational toys is looking for a student well versed in graphics for a paid position. This is a great opportunity for a skilled, responsible student.

Can you recommend a few candidates? Mary Larsen is the Creative Director. Her tel. number at work is 305-621-1000 Ext 138. Please let me know if you can help.

Thanks.
Rubén Abruña

ACT Final Cut Pro Level 2
Avid Certified Instructorh Campus
School of Entertainment and Design Technology

LOGO DESIGN
Two Logos I Admire for their Expressiveness
While watching TV a few nights ago, I saw commercials for TravelAlaska.com and for ShareOurStrength.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating childhood hunger in America. I was impressed by the expressiveness of both logos.


TravelAlaska's logo fortuitously contains three capital A's. The artist replaced the apexes of the A's, already shaped like mountains, with snowcapped peaks. To further express the randomness of the heights of various peaks, the artist changed scale and baseline shift of each letter individually. To create stronger unity with the remaining letters, the artist manipulated the capital K as well as the feet of the outer capital A's to express the Rocky Mountains in Alaska. This logo embodies the Great American Outdoors, while at the same time attracting attention and building interest.


Share Our Strength's logo is truly special. Designed by SS+K, a New York-based strategic communications agency, the logo symbolizes people working together to stamp out the dreadful condition of childhood hunger in America. The positive shape represents an apple core, signifying food, the substance that will eliminate hunger, while the negative shapes are the profile of an adult and a child, the people who will work together to solve this social problem. The more one looks at this logo, the more one is drawn to how well it expresses all aspects of the organization's mission.

TYPOGRAPHY
Calendar Website Inspires Artists
Thanks go out to my MDC student Danny for sending me this link to the Publikum Calendar website, a non-profit project originated during wartime Serbia in 1993. Its mission is to facilitate meaningful dialogue between artists and to inspire the exchange of ideas between diverse cultures.

TYPOGRAPHY
Periodic Table of Typefaces and Typography Sites
A big "Thank You" goes out to my MDC student Norberto for sending me these typography-related links: Fantastic Typography Blogs, and 40 Most Inspiring 3D Type Designs.

TYPOGRAPHY

Incredible Illustrations Created Using Typographic Characters

Special thanks go to my MDC student Rick for sending me these incredible illustrations advertising a Brazilian newspaper. The work was accomplished by using only type characters. In case you're too young to remember who these actors were, I've linked their images to their Wikipedia entries.

TYPOGRAPHY

Beautiful Type-Only Commercial from Starbucks and Product(RED)

Thanks to my FIU student Aaron for sending this in. In a continued effort to reinforce its commitment to the communities that grow its coffee beans, and to continue being a responsible global company, Starbucks will donate five cents to Product(RED) from Nov. 27 to Jan. 2 with each purchase of a (STARBUCKS)Exclusive coffee drink: Peppermint Mocha Twist, Gingersnap Latte and Espresso Truffle. On the 20th anniversary of World AIDS day on Dec. 1st, Starbucks will donate five cents for every coffee drink sold. To read more, visit this press release at the Starbucks website.

VIDEO

This Would be Funny, if it Weren't So True...

Thanks go out to my past MDC student Robin for sending me this video, parodying an experience that a graphic designer might have while working with clients.

A professional graphic designer's job is to be a partner and consultant in the ultimate success of the project, which will be of mutual benefit to both the client and the designer. Here, the designer is presented as a lackey, following all the obviously bad suggestions of the graphically-uninformed clients.

Educated graphic designers understand that they are more than just software operators. They are experts in visual communication, understanding how to create clear and attractive messages. To be effective, a graphic designer must guide the client through the creation of the work, explaining why a certain design approach might have been selected, and why certain ideas just won't work. Graphic design should facilitate communication, and is never just decoration.

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Paul Rand Talks about Graphic Design

Thanks go to my FIU student Andrea for posting this YouTube video in which Paul Rand talks about that career we all love.

TYPOGRAPHY
25+ Sites That Use Only Typography as a Design Element
Thanks to my FIU student Elizabeth for posting this blog, which lists about 37 sites that use typography as their only design element. See? It can be done. That's why having strong type skills is important.

GRAPHIC NOVEL

IDW Presents Graphic Biographies McCain and Obama

IDW Publishing has just released on October 8th a pair of graphic novel biographies of John McCain and Barack Obama. Use the link to preview the comics and to find a local comic book shop selling the comics.

FUNNY STUFF

Eight Steps to Drive a Graphic Designer Crazy

Thanks to my past MDC student Robin for sending me the link to this funny blog article. It's in Spanish, so I'll translate and synopsize the posting below.

1. Send your graphic designer files created in Microsoft Publisher. Where the heck's the kerning and tracking controls in Publisher, anyway?

2. Ask your designer to set your ad in Comic Sans. Yuck!

3. Ask your graphic designer to fill up all that negative space. Go for that BrandsMart look!

4. Send your graphic designer your logo via fax, so that he or she always has to rebuild it.

5. Use subjective descriptors when communicating to your graphic designer: "I want a super-cool design." Very specific, yeah right. ;-)

6. Tell your graphic designer to use your favorite colors: pink, green, brown and  silver. Hoo boy!

7. Give your graphic designer the assignment one day before the deadline. We like working under pressure. Not!

8. After the previous seven steps have been performed, be sure to complain to your graphic designer about the ugly design he or she has done! :-P

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Graphic Designer Intern

We are a small company which dedicated itself to the Aviation business and industry, and we are currently looking for a Graphic Design Intern for a couple of hours a week to work on collateral design.

Requirements:
- Good knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator
- Knowledge of Adobe Acrobat
- Great creative mind
- Motivated and dynamic
- Some prior experience is preferred

Minimum commitment of 2 months, 1-2 days a week from (10a-6p) is required.

Pleasee contact:
annemariebrander@interflightstudio.com
Hourly: $0

JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Web Designer and Flash Programmer Needed

Graphic/Web Designer/Developer
The Graphic/Web Designer/Developer’s role is to provide creative web assistance and programming skills in the production of user interfaces, online content and additional components for all online products. Under the direction of the Director of Production, the Graphic/Web Designer/Developer develops dynamic web content using CMS, creates custom graphics for web/print, and provides quality assurance (QA) for all web assets.

Flash Designer/Programmer
The Flash Programmer’s role is to provide creative assistance and programming skills in the production and integration of custom Flash pieces into online content. Under the direction of the Director of Production, the Flash Programmer develops custom graphics/animations, uploads content items to digital asset manager/content management system, and provides quality assurance (QA) for all multimedia developed.

Please submit resume, along with a link to your portfolio to sandrav@fyioc.com.

Thank you.
Sandra Villanueva

VIDEO
MDC Productions Summer Camp
Over the summer, I participated in a week-long workshop introducing a group of middle-school students to the graphics industry (particularly working with Photoshop). Linked up below, I have a 5-minute video from WPBT in Miami, in which I make a brief appearance. (I can't believe I've gained so much weight over the summer; I've lost a few pounds since then!)

TYPOGRAPHY
fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Thanks go out to my FIU student Mirsad for sending me this interesting item. Read the paragraph below:

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it

JOB OPPORTUNITY
FIU Enterprise Web Services Seeking a Web Designer
Web Designer needed by FIU Enterprise Web Services. Please contact:

Yisandra Delgado
Office Assistant
Enterprise Web Services
Florida International University
Ph: 305-348-7169
Fax: 305-348-0040

VIDEO
Dove Video Shows Why We Have a Distorted Perception of Beauty

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Thanks to my FIU student Lina for sending me this video from Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, which shows how models are retouched in Photoshop to enhance their features. Such retouching reinforces a distorted view of physical ideals.

STUDENT WORK
"Taking a Stand" Posters by MDC Graphic Design 1 Class
My MDC Graphic Design 1 class was assigned to create a poster for a fictitious television documentary titled, "Taking a Stand," commemorating the civil rights movement in the U.S. Their goal was to integrate typography and graphic shapes. The students created these projects last semester, in the spring. Here's how they did.

COMPETITION
MTV Casting Call for Entries
MTV is seeking college-age creative geniuses to compete in a series of creative challenges utilizing HP computers. Four teams of four will battle in creating animations, websites, short films, sound mixes and more.

Males and females, ages 18 – 25. We are specifically looking for Latin American and Brazilian kids living in their regions or Latin American and Brazilian kids living/studying in the U.S. Must have experience creating on computers.

Areas of expertise must include one or more of the following:
* Filmmaking * Stop Motion Animation * Website Design * Multi-track Music Mixing * Graphic Design * Video Game Creation.

Must be able to legally enter the United States. Must be available to be in New York City July 18 – August 17. Must speak conversational English, but does NOT need to be perfectly fluent. Must be productive under stress and the pressure of deadlines. Must be personable, and comfortable on camera. Must be a team player. Cannot be an employee of MTVN or HP.

If interested please contact Nicholas at nicholas.box@mtvnmix.com for official application form.

VIDEO
Radiohead's All I Need Brings to Light Human Exploitation


Thanks to my FIU student Camila for sending me this link to Radiohead's All I Need video as an example of using strong messages in advertising, a topic of class discussion. The Radiohead video presents two parallel stories of a young boy in the West, enjoying a comfortable lifestyle, and a young boy in the East, forced into slave labor. The ending is quite jolting. The director, Steve Rogers, weaves his story using compelling cinematography by John Seale, and shakes viewers out of their complacency by bringing awareness to our own practices that affect human beings overseas.

Radiohead's Thom Yorke in an Apr. 30th MTV press release:

It's an interesting thing, because if you are in the West, it's a luxury to be able to talk about the importance of human rights for everybody, but yet in the East or the poorer countries where slave labor is going on, if you talk to certain companies,...somehow the rights of the workers are secondary to economic growth.

In contrast to Benneton ads, discussed in class, the Radiohead video presents its message purposefully to try to affect change in this important social issue. Benneton has been criticized for presenting strong, sometimes shocking, images solely for the purpose of promoting its clothing brand, oftentimes disregarding the pain and suffering of others.

EXHIBITIONS
For Inspiration This Semester
Many fascinating exhibitions await gallery hoppers this semester. The following exhibitions are sure to provide inspiration for your own projects. Give them a visit; you'll have a great time and learn something new along the way.
The Art and Culture Center of Hollywood presents Nathan Sawaya: The Art of the Brick. This New York artist presents 30 works consisting entirely of LEGO blocks. The exhibit opens June 7 with a reception June 6th from 6 - 9 pm. The Art and Culture Center of Hollywood is located at 1650 Harrison Street in Hollywood.
Now through June 15th, The Norton Museum of Art features an exhibition of Alexander Calder Jewelry. I'm a big fan of Calder, so it's well worth the drive. The Norton is located at 1451 S. Olive Avenue in West Palm Beach.
The Bass Museum offers an exhibition of Western portraiture, enabling comparisons from seventeenth century Dutch artist Anthony van Dyck to Robert Wilson's innovative twenty-first century video portraits. Splendor in the Bass: The Portraits is open now until October. The Bass Museum is located at 2121 Park Avenue in Miami Beach.
Opening June 28th in the Lowe Art Museum is an exhibition titled Excavating Egypt: Great Discoveries from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Just in time for Indiana Jones, too! The Lowe Art Museum is located in the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables.
The Wolfsonian Museum offers its ongoing exhibition titled Art and Design in the Modern Age. The Wolfsonian is located at 1001 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach.
I would be remiss if I left out our own SEDT Graphic Design Student Exhibition on display in the second floor of the Computer Courtyard of Miami Dade College, North Campus. Featuring over 50 works by MDC graphic design students, the exhibition includes an audio tour in the words and voices of several of the participants. If you go to just one exhibition this semester, make it this one. Miami Dade College is located at 11380 NW 27th Avenue in Miami.

STUDENT WORK
Brochure Designs by Pub Ed & Design Students
Better late than never, but here are projects by last semester's Publications Editing and Design students at FIU. Their goal was to design an attractive, yet informative brochure, that carries across its message visually. Here's how they did.

TYPOGRAPHY
The Typographic Stylings of the Barack Obama Campaign
Thanks go out to Angelica, my FIU student, for sending me this link to an Apr. 2nd N.Y. Times blog posting by Steven Heller and Brian Collins on typography and branding in the Barack Obama campaign. Collins praises the campaign's art directors for their consistent application of design across a wide variety of media, and by thousands of volunteers from state to state. Collins also discusses the aesthetic and emotive qualities of the typeface Gotham, as used in the Obama campaign:

It has a blunt, geometric simplicity, which usually makes words feel cold and analytical...but it also feels warm. It’s substantial yet friendly. Up-to-date yet familiar...And Gotham has another quality that makes it succeed: it just looks matter-of-fact.

TYPOGRAPHY
The Island of San Serriffe
It sure has been a long time since my last posting; you can be sure I've been quite busy with all my classes, but now with the summer lull, I hope to resume regular postings. First off, Jeff, a past student from MDC, sent me the following article for April Fool's Day, from the Museum of Hoaxes.
Publishers of The Guardian, a UK newspaper, often ran special reports, focusing on an obscure country or new technology, designed to attract related advertising. Tired of the parade of little countries no one had ever heard of, Philip Davies conceived the island of San Serriffe, as a hoax for the April 1, 1977 edition of the paper, which ran a seven-page article dedicated to the fictitious island, complete with fake maps, history and advertisements--all built around typographic references. The island is shaped like a semicolon, the capital is Bodoni, and its dictator is General Pica. The hoax proved to be extremely popular and is well-known to this day.
Thanks also to Robin, another past MDC student, who sent me this link to San Serriffe from WikiTravel.

GRAFFITI
Graffiti: High Art or Contemporary Urban Folk Practice?
In a Dec. 11th article in AIGA Voice, Steven Grody discusses the merits of grafitti art. He says that while graffiti artists might not use common art terms, they do understand, and obsessively arrange visual weight, in their compositions. In the end, there is really very little difference philosophically between the art inside the gallery and that spray-painted on its exterior walls. Grody writes, "While some would recognize a Matisse, would they also understand the radical aspects of his art?"

ADVERTISING
Be on the Lookout for E&G Subs Coupons
From the Jan. 10th Creativity Online email newsletter. Minneapolis ad agency Colle+McVoy has designed a guerilla marketing campaign involving stickers attached to phone booths. Curious people who lift the sticker are treated to a free Erbert & Gerbert's Sub sandwich. Very unusual. Do you think it will work?

GRAPHIC DESIGN TECHNIQUES
Why Drop Shadows Don't (Always) Work.
Graphic design is not decoration; rather it is the facilitation of clear visual communications. Often, your first instinct might be to add a drop shadow to a headline, thinking the design would look too plain without it. The fact is drop shadows rarely improve a headline's appearance.

Consider the design's figure/ground color contrast relationship. Black is the darkest color, and white is the lightest color. The example below (left) already exhibits a strong color contrast between the display type and its background. Adding a gray drop shadow (right) reduces contrast thereby reducing legibility, making the headline harder to read.
   

That's not to say you should never use drop shadows. Given a low-contrast situation (as in yellow type on a green background), adding a slight shadow might actually improve contrast and legibility.

Which of the black and white examples above do you find easier to read, and which of the color samples below are more legible? See what I mean?

   

The next time you feel inclined to add a drop shadow onto your display type, consider its effect on the figure/ground color contrast. You might be surprised to discover the design works better without the drop shadow.

SEQUENTIAL ART
Psycho Shower Scene Controversy
Let's continue our Saul Bass kick for one more posting. The well-known graphic designer famous for the AT&T logo and the opening title sequences of several of Alfred Hitchcock's films (and a lot more--too much to list here!), created the storyboard art for Hitchcock's Psycho shower scene.

Paul Martin Lester writes in Visual Communications: Images with Messages that Hitchcock invited Bass to direct the famous Psycho shower scene (p. 154). Imagine that! The scene that epitomizes the Master of Suspense's sixty-year career; the sequence synonymous with the name "Hitch;" one of the greatest scenes in movie history, directed by someone else--albeit one of the most well-known graphic designers in history. I believed it; after all, graphic design is more than simply putting images on paper. On a deeper level, it involves "visual thinking," translating communications into graphic media. The shower sequence conveys a strong sense of terror and shock, without showing gore, as most of today's movies do.

I recently found this web page created by Dr. Glen Johnson, English professor and Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at Catholic University of America. Johnson notes that Bass had made the assertion that he directed the famous shower scene after Hitchcock's death. Both actor Janet Leigh and assistant director Hilton Green refute Bass's assertion. A comparison of Bass's storyboards with the completed scene reveals a few differences, indicating Bass did not direct the sequence.

This, of course, takes nothing away from my personal admiration of Bass's work, but the Psycho shower scene could only have been directed by the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.

MOTION GRAPHICS
More Movie Title Sequences
Feeling a bit disappointed that the website in the previous posting didn't showcase any movie opening titles by the great Saul Bass, I've linked to some of his opening sequences that I found posted on YouTube, instead. I've included Casino, thanks to Francis's suggestion. And who could forget the work of Maurice Binder, renowned for his opening title sequences of all the pre-Brosnan 007 movies.

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho by Saul Bass
Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder by Saul Bass
Ocean's Eleven by Saul Bass
Martin Scorsese's Casino by Elaine and Saul Bass
Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo by Saul Bass
Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can by Kuntzel Deygas
Dr. No by Maurice Binder

MOTION GRAPHICS
Forget the Film, Check Out the Titles
Check out this cool website devoted to celebrating the creativity of movie opening titles. Saul Bass should have a lot of great stuff in there.

STUDENT WORK
Logo Designs for a Construction Company by my MDC Design 2 Class
I'm pleased to present logo designs by my MDC Graphic Design 2 class. Their goal in designing a logo for a construction company was to evoke a 3-D appearance, as buildings are three-dimensional solids, with width, depth and height. Here's how they did: