Thank John McWade, the editor of Before & After for sending me this link. It was produced for an AIGA conference a couple of years ago to showcase local attractions, shops, and restaurants of the host city. Very nice, thanks John.
http://powerofdesign.aiga.org/cultureguide/flash_content/index.html
Why do you suppose Jay Conrad Levinson's Guerrilla Marketing remains among the best selling small business marketing books ever written? (After 20 years it is #1,429 in books on amazon.com as I write this). Simple, his approach works. Don't miss this great bank of articles.
http://www.gmarketing.com/articles/
How do you make flip-flops a fashion statement? Build a brand around them. Havaianas.com is an amazing, fresh site that is worth taking a look—you'll need a high-speed connection. I love the illustration style and color palette.
Very nice example of Web story telling—literal and figurative.
http://www.homesoflastingcharacter.com/marshall.html
Bob Bly is a gifted writer, copywriter, and teacher. His how-to articles are jam-packed with insight and information. Here's a taste:
The Fundamentals of Persuasive Writing
http://www.bly.com/Pages/documents/TFOPW.html
How to Write More Effective Technical Product Brochures
http://www.bly.com/Pages/documents/Cepbro1.htm
They are from Bob Bly's “How-To Articles for You” page
http://www.bly.com/newsite/Pages/articles.html
John McWade, the publisher and creative force behind Before & After Magazine, has an extraordinary talent for busting through the veneer of design and revealing the essential framework within. Here are some free examples:
How to design small calendars
http://www.bamagazine.com/du6ah3Land.asp
How to find the perfect color
http://www.bamagazine.com/6Hare6Land.asp
Design a $10 clock
http://www.bamagazine.com/q9S3acLand.asp
And a list of other issues you can purchase
The Science Photo Library (SPL) is a UK-based provider of science photos covering all aspects of science, health & medicine, space exploration & astronomy, technology & industry, earth science, satellite imagery, and nature & wildlife.
I like how the designer of this site uses an anchor illustration for each issue.
http://www.jimcollins.com/index.html
And uses little snippets of the illustrations to archive past stories.
http://www.jimcollins.com/lab/index.html
A better bottle. Wow. You couldn't ask for more than to design a package that looks good, solves a problem better than its predecessors, and has the potential to have a positive impact on the world.
A better sign. ClearviewHwy is a highway signage typeface system ten years in the making. It was developed to increase the legibility and improve ease of recognition of road sign legends while reducing the effects of halation (overglow).
An article about Clearview from the New York Times...
I saved this for last because, if you're anything like me, you could spend half a day searching Google's groundbreaking new map application. Check this out:
Here's a map showing the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco...
Click on “Satellite” (upper right) and you get the same image in photographic detail!
Then, try clicking on the page above and drag your mouse to move right. Unbelievable! You can actually travel across the United States (by map or satellite image) to the east coast!
The motion here certainly captured my attention.
Need a graph? You can generate it for free and save it in a variety of file formats using this simple tool provided by the National Center for Education Statistics.
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/Graphing/
I really like the complexity of these package designs—nice type treatments and illustrations. They really make me want to try the products.
Arrowhead Mills Cereals
http://www.arrowheadmills.com/images/products/w450/07433337492.jpg
Asbach Chocolates
http://www.gdh-trading.com/Asbach_pics/AS21510.jpg
August Schell Brewing
http://www.compassdesigninc.com/work/beverage/prodA3.htm