May 16
May 2008
In January of this year the U.S. Census Bureau announced the publication of the Census Atlas of the United States—the first comprehensive atlas of population and housing produced by the Census Bureau since the 1920s. It is 300 pages long and contains almost 800 maps.
There are two reasons to take a look at this PDF version of the atlas. First, it contains an amazing amount of fascinating information. And second, it is a fine example of clear, insightful information design.
Census Atlas of the United States...
Another extensive government resource: The National Atlas of the United States...
In the Ideabook Design Store: Becoming a Graphic Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design, 3rd Edition...
May 14
May 2008
Pictures are powerful stuff. This little book looked interesting enough that I ordered a copy (even though I have no plans to visit China anytime soon). It provides images that represent various ideas you would commonly need to communicate to someone who does not speak the same language—a picture of a credit card, a toilet, food items, and so on.
It is not be a new idea but a nice execution of it. More than anything it is a good reminder of how far a pertinent illustration can advance communication—even when you speak the same language.
Me No Speak...
In the Ideabook Design Store: Before & After: Page Design...
May 12
May 2008
Watch how this menu matches photographers to their areas of expertise. When you rollover the names of photographers in the left-hand column, their areas of expertise are highlighted in the right-hand column. Rollover the area of expertise and photographers with that expertise are highlighted.
(While your there, don't miss the portfolios, Marge Casey is a representative for many very talented photographers.)
Marge Casey menus...
In the Ideabook Design Store: The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book...
May 9
May 2008
You need real guts to take on a job like this. Amsterdam studio Bolt Graphics designed this handsome set of posters for Adidas and translated them into 24 languages—not just translated words but word illustrations.
Bolt Graphics posters...
In the Ideabook Design Store: Templates for InDesign, QuarkXpress, or PageMaker...
May 7
May 2008
Every designer should be a student of copyright and trademark laws. These laws not only protect your work and mine, they protect the work of others—everyone from artists and designers to corporations and public institutions. Part of our job is to be certain that the illustrations and photographs we incorporate into our work do not infringe on existing copyrights or trademarks. Or, if they do, that they are properly recognized and documented.
It is not as simple as it looks. Here, for example, is a technical wiki for the royalty-free illustration and photography site istockphoto.com. It is designed to help the those who submit work for sale to understand what can and cannot be distributed under royalty-free guidelines. You might be surprised at the scope of the imagery that cannot be used without the permission of its owners.
The istockphoto wiki on copyright and trademark issues ...
Copyright basics...
Trademark basics...
In the Ideabook Design Store: Design-It-Yourself: Graphic Workshopa...
May 5
May 2008
Thanks to Chris Miller for pointing us to this interesting navigational approach by EffectiveUI. I like the idea that everything carries near-equal weight. Kind of like a book table of contents—it displays the linear layout but it also gives you a simple, in depth way to pick and choose.
The EffectiveUI interface...
NEW in the Ideabook Design Store: Tintbook CMYK Process Color Selector...
May 2
May 2008
Here is a nice example of how to use a silhouette as a transition from one section of a web page to the next.
The example is at the bottom of the page...
In the Ideabook Design Store: The Copywriter's Handbook...