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Creative Portfolio: Overlooked Design Possibility – Postal Stamps

This article presents the third project in this portfolio series, a look at postal stamp designs that – unlike an enlarged poster format – challenges your skills at merging type and image elements in a small print format. Linda explains how to convey pertinent messages within this format, and shows how limitations provided by this small space can help you to view all your projects in a new light. You’ll need to conduct research and work on conceptual design before you create your postal stamp project, a portfolio creation that could include an accompanying poster and flyer. Additionally, you must be familiar with the colour wheel.

The Portfolio Project: Postal Stamp Design

PORTFOLIO PROJECT: Postal Stamp Design. Postal stamps are often overlooked as a portfolio element, as it seems that everyone these days communicates by email. But, your skills with type and images on a small format can show a client or prospective employer that you are adept with detailed work. With the online debut of such venues like Photo Stamps and Zazzle, you can use this format to add extra business to your growing clientele base as well.

TOOLS: Any computer graphics program that allows you to produce image files; sketchbook and notebook for concepts; colour wheel; list of elements and principles of design (a list of elements of design is included at the end of this article).

WHAT YOU’LL ACCOMPLISH: This tutorial will encourage you to think creatively and analytically about merging type and images in a miniscule format, a design problem that increases your ability to think and work minimally with all your projects.

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Creative Portfolio: Poster Design – Type and Image

This article presents the second project in this portfolio series, a poster design that demonstrates your skills at merging type and image elements in an enlarged print format. Linda walks you through the particulars contained within two current poster contests, where you ask about what would work (and possibly win) in each situation. You’ll need to conduct research and work on conceptual design before you create your poster. The information included in this article is relevant to any poster design contest that you enter, and it’s also pertinent to any poster design that you decide to create outside the contest venue.

The Portfolio Project: Poster Design

PORTFOLIO PROJECT: Poster. A poster is typically a printed paper announcement that is publicly displayed and that functions as a promotional tool for a product, an event, or a sentiment or cause through image and text. A poster's principal task is to be noticed: it must attract attention and influence the viewer.

TOOLS: A graphics program that utilizes layers and sometimes Pantone Colours (PMS – Pantone Management System), since this is a print project; sketchbook and notebook for concepts.

WHAT YOU’LL ACCOMPLISH: This tutorial will encourage you to think creatively and analytically about merging type and images in a print design through a brief history about the poster, elements contained within posters, various layout options, and target markets.

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Creative Portfolio: Product Renderings & Pen Tools

The first project in Linda’s portfolio series begins with tutorials on how to use the Pen Tool to render a vector graphic. She shows you how to create easy product images from photographs and products found in catalogues, even if you can’t draw. You will learn how to use your Pen Tool to the best advantage with step-by-step instructions. You will need to know how to open a graphics program and create a new file, and you must also be familiar with working in layers. Many other projects in this series will make use of the Pen Tool, such as logos and type images.

The Portfolio Project

PORTFOLIO PROJECT: Product Image

TOOLS: Pen Tool contained within any graphics program; product image (jewellery, clothing, etc. – the simpler the better if you’re a beginner); scanner if you need to scan the image from a photograph or catalogue.

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Creative Portfolio: What do Employers Want to See?

You love to design Websites, but you know that the field is so competitive that you don’t stand a chance to make anything more than a mediocre income. If you want to get a job with an agency or as a highly-paid freelance designer you need to diversify your portfolio. This is where Linda comes in, with the first in a series about how to develop a creative and diverse portfolio that exemplifies your skills and knowledge. In this article, she explains portfolio diversification, examines portfolio requirements, and offers ideas about how to flesh out your current offerings.

Portfolio Diversification

If you attended a graphic design school, you know how many different classes you took at that school. You had to learn the basics first, like typography, basic Web design, colour, and composition or layout. You then could proceed to classes where you utilized software like Photoshop, Quark, Flash, and Dreamweaver. You were expected to produce print as well as Web design projects to create a well-rounded and diversified graphic design portfolio for graduation.

 

Above: A student portfolio example shown online through the Art Institute of Toronto.

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Photoshop: Embedded Colour

From RGB to CMYK: Embedded Profiles in Photoshop

Embedded profiles are, by far, the safest way to save your colour choices when you transfer a document from your monitor to several output destinations. Whether you work in RGB or CMYK, the embedded profile can save your images from faulty colour management. But, this process only works when all concerned understand what the profile stands for and why it’s there in the first place. In this article, Linda takes you through the basics on why and how to embed a profile into your document or image in Photoshop. In the process, you’ll also learn how to “soft proof” you document when you alter the RGB colour space to CMYK…

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Web to Print: LCD Monitor Calibration part 2

In this second of two articles, Linda explains the first and most basic process in colour management – calibration for LCD monitors through the use of Adobe Gamma software (a basic Photoshop program). Even if you don’t use this program to calibrate your LCD monitor, you can follow along to learn how to use the Adobe Gamma calibration settings to describe how your monitor reproduces colour in collaboration with any other hardware and/or software. You will also learn about problems inherent with critical image editing on certain LCD displays throughout this short series.

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Web to Print: LCD Monitor Calibration Part 1

Whether you want to expand into print or become more professional with your photography, what do you need to know about how colour translates from your computer screen to a printed page? In this first of two articles, Linda explains the first and most basic process – calibration for LCD monitors through the use of Adobe Gamma software (a basic Photoshop program). Even if you don’t use this program, you can follow along to learn how to use the Adobe Gamma calibration settings to describe how your monitor reproduces colour with any other software. You will also learn about problems inherent with critical image editing on certain LCD displays throughout this short series.

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Web-to-Print, Part II of II

Is Web-to-Print Profitable?

Part II of II

In the previous article, Linda explained Web-to-Print as a template-based prepress process that often uses POD, or Print On Demand, and digital presses. She provided some examples on how a Web designer or developer could add a sideline business as graphic designer or print broker in that article. But, what if you’re serious about adding a print business to your already thriving Web business? In this article, Linda explores more Web-to-Print solutions in-depth to illustrate what to look for and, alternately, what to avoid when you seek a profitable solution to a Web-to-Print business expansion.

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Web-to-Print, Part I of II

Is Web-to-Print Profitable?

Part I of II

Within the past six years the Web-to-Print business has blossomed, and Web designers or developers might look to these services to supplement income. But since the business has expanded so rapidly, how does the designer choose and use any given online Web-to-Print service? The process varies, depending on if you want to expand your business to include printing presses, or if you want to become a print broker (a liaison between a customer and a full-service print house), a desktop publisher, or a designer for Web-to-Print services. In this first part of a two-part article, Linda explains the processes behind Web-to-Print and examines several options that can expand your business.

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Design and Accessibility: Part XVII

Multimedia: More Usable than Ever

In the previous article, Linda explained how to develop trust between your products and services and your potential and existing customers with Web content. In this article, the final segment of the Design and Accessibility series from this author, Linda will talk about multimedia and how the addition of video, sound, and Flash has become more usable. However, it appears that a cut-and-paste code habit may create problems, especially if that code doesn’t pass accessibility standards. Additionally, technological incompatibilities continue to make life rough for Web developers and designers…

Remember Jakob Nielson?

“The entire concept of “Web Design” is a misnomer. Individual project teams are not designing the Web any more than individual ants are designing an anthill. Site designers build components of a whole – especially now that users are viewing the Web as a single, integrated resource. Unfortunately, much of the Web is like an anthill built by ants on LSD. Many sites don’t fit into the big picture and are too difficult to use because they deviate from expected norms.”

You might have one of several immediate responses to the above quote if you’re a designer. Your reaction might range from amusement to irritation, but seldom does any one designer stand in the middle in her feelings about Nielson. In this case, it’s good to remember that Nielson isn’t a graphic designer. He’s an engineer.  Nielson’s Website is a visual reminder of his usual position against graphics and visual aesthetics. His user interface remains as austere as his perspective on design:

Useit.com – Jakob Nielson’s Website

But, it’s also good to remember that Nielson is a visionary, that he has over twenty years’ experience in technological usability, and that he is often misinterpreted or misunderstood. So, while many designers scoff at Nielson’s self-assigned “guru” status, his latest book, “Prioritising Web Usability,” may be the one book you should own for usability guidelines, even if you prefer to design with multimedia.

It appears that Nielson has “gone soft” on multimedia such as Flash, as he states that isn’t as “bad” as he declared it to be in 1995. It appears that technology, developer, and designer awareness about usability has increased, thereby creating a more usable environment for multimedia for users. However, my experience shows that while many multimedia developers and designers often notice usability standards, accessibility guidelines are ignored when multimedia is applied to Web development. This problem is exacerbated when code is available for a “cut and paste” methodology, especially for video content.

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Design and Accessibility: Part XVI

Content, Usability, and Angry Clients

In the previous article, Linda discussed several points contained in current accessibility policies and showed how to build one for your sites through various online examples. In this article, Linda becomes the angry client, as her personal information was included in the U.S. Veterans Administration databases stolen from a private home in May 2006. In an effort to turn a personal trial into a lesson on content development and usability, Linda shows how emotion colours how viewers read site content. She demonstrates how to avoid confusion and – alternately – how to win customer confidence through readable and, therefore, usable Web text.

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FREE

Free - Reporting on Hierarchical Recursive data using MS Reporting Services

I will start with a question here.  How many of you had chance to interact with Employee table from sample database Northwind?  There you go… I can imagine countless hands in air, and why not it is one of the standard databases comes with both Access and SQL server.  All right, are we going to discuses Northwind database here? NO. Is Employee table is something special? I would say YES to this.  Why special? Well, if you pay a close attention, it is just like any other standard table, however, two fields from the table, “EmployeeID” and “ReportsTo” are related to each other in an interesting way! Yes, you got it right; I am talking about Hierarchical relationship which we also call commonly as Recursive data.  I am trying to shade some light on reporting of data which is recursive in nature.

 

 

 

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