Chykalophia » inspiration

Inspiring Graphic Design Magazine – Round Up

Ari Suardiyanti — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:56:31 +0000

Everyone needs inspiration, it doesn’t matter in what department are they involved with in their everyday life. Though, for creatives like graphic designers, interior designers, web designers, and the like, inspiration become the nourishment for their creative brain. With the technology in publications and internet, we are now provided by many variations of magazine choices.

Why magazine? Because it’s simply handy. A magazine usually delivered with tons of informations. As for graphic design magazine, we could find anything we need on it. Range from interviews with the featured designers, information about contest or design events, reviews on design utilities (software, books, or other), tutorials on how to create certain effect or graphic, showcase of inspirational designs, and much more. However, out of hundreds of graphic design magazine out there, sometimes you have to be very selective to choose which one to read. Therefore, I have provided you with the round up for the most inspirational graphic design magazine, the published ones to the free ones you can download from the net. If you found another inspiring graphic design magazine of which you think should be on the list as well, feel free to drop it on the comment section. Enjoy!

Print & Published Magazines

1. p r i n t Magazine

Print is a bimonthly magazine about visual culture and design. Founded in 1940 by William Edwin Rudge, Print is dedicated to showcasing the extraordinary in design on and off the page.

2. HOW Design

HOW magazine’s goal is to help designers, whether they work for a design firm, for an in-house design department or for themselves, run successful, creative, profitable studios.HOW strives to serve the business, technological and creative needs of graphic-design professionals. The magazine provides a practical mix of essential business information, up-to-date technological tips, the creative whys and hows behind noteworthy projects, and profiles of professionals who are influencing design.

3. I.D. Magazine

I.D Magazine is a leading critical magazine covering the art, business, and culture of design.

4. Communication Art

Communication Arts is an amazing art and design magazine that consists of eight issues and includes the Design, Advertising, Illustration, Photography and Interactive annuals.

5. Computer Arts

Computer Arts, the world’s best-selling magazine for digital artists and designers, boasts a strong line-up of tutorials every issue, covering everything from manipulating photographs with Photoshop to creating amazing vector illustrations with Illustrator. You’ll also find tonnes of tips and tricks for web design, typography, 3D, animation, motion graphics and multimedia. It’s the one-stop shop for professional advice.

6. IdN

IdN magazine is an international publication for creative people on a mission to amplify and unify the design community. It has been an active organiser of many design-related events. It is devoted to bringing designers from around the globe together to communicate with, learn from and inspire one another. It has truly become what the initials of its title proclaim it to be: an international designers’ network.

7. CMYK Magazine

CMYK Magazine is where aspiring creatives showcase their talents to an industry driven by inspiration and new ways of creative problem solving. At the same time, CMYK Magazine is where creative directors, agency principals and art buyers recruit students and recent graduates at today’s top art-design schools: art directors, copywriters, designers, photographers and illustrators.

8. Before&After

Before & After magazine has been sharing its practical approach to graphic design since 1990. Because our modern world has made designers of us all (ready or not), Before & After is dedicated to making graphic design understandable, useful and even fun for everyone.

The magazine is available as a PDF or printed as other magazines.

9. Digital Arts

Digital Arts addresses the needs of those within the exploding digital media market by providing relevant and forward thinking content, and by consistently running more exclusive reviews and features than any other magazine or Web site in the market. Digital Arts consistenly delivers high-quality content, providing its professional readership with the latest news and reviews first.

10. .net

.net is the world’s best-selling magazine for web designers and developers, featuring tutorials from leading agencies, interviews with the web’s biggest names, and agenda-setting features on the hottest issues affecting the internet today. If you’re serious about web design, then .net is the magazine for you!

11. Layers

Every page of Layers magazine is brimming with powerhouse tutorials for Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, GoLive, Acrobat, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Dreamweaver and Flash – all the secret Adobe techniques that design professionals need to quickly and easily produce dazzling results.

12. Photoshop Creative

Photoshop® Creative is the perfect magazine for learning more about Adobe’s outstanding application. Each issue is packed with inspirational tutorials covering the whole scope of the software, from creative projects, to practical guides to using tools and techniques. Readers also benefit from a collectable CD-ROM each issue. Whatever you use Photoshop for, Photoshop creative will help you become a better digital artist.

13. Step Inside Design

14. Juxtapoz

Billed as an art and culture magazine, at first glance it might seem like art and counter-culture. A closer look shows some of the most intriguing arts coverage available.

15. Beautiful/Decay

Beginning as a hand-photocopied, black and white ‘zine, some ten years ago, Beautiful/Decay has always prided itself on putting artists—and quality content. In keeping with the spirit of our independent, DIY philosophy, we have decided to break the mold of traditional magazines, cut out the (sub)standard print industry and change up the way we do business. Beautiful/Decay has more of the content you love, with none of the filler.

16. Creative Review

The aim of Creative Review is to inspire, inform and stimulate debate among our readers in graphic design, advertising, digital media, illustration, photography and all other fields of visual communication worldwide. We do this in a number of ways.

17. GD USA

Graphic Design USA is the leading design business magazine and is a great resource for freelance designers and studio owners.

18. Eye Magazine

Eye Magazine is “the quarterly print magazine for everyone involved in graphic design and visual culture.”

19. Desktop Magazine

Desktop is a respected (but still playful!) industry leader in all above-mentioned communication avenues, covering news, events, profiles, inspirations, technical processes, challenges, products and services and in a vast array of creative fields including print, photography, animation, fashion, typography, packaging, digital media, web design, post-production, illustration, gaming design and more.

Free Online Magazine

20. Frespiration!

21. Kromag

22. NewSugar

23. Bak

24. Breed

25. Artzmania

26. Castle Magazine

27. Root Magazine

28. Ideafixa

29. RevolutionArt

30. Multilink

31. Moloko

32. Anti

33. Proteusmag

34. Veer Catalog

35. Gizmag

36. Destructed

37. Blanket Magazine

38. WOW Mags

39. VecKR

40. EXTRA: pdf-mags.com

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Guest Author Post: Tips and Inspiration on Creating a Great Website Footer

Ari Suardiyanti — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:59:06 +0000

As most of us know, there are three important parts of a website’s design: the header, the content, and the footer. None of these should be ignored when creating a web design. Sadly it happens in most cases, and many web designers ignore the footer design. Over time the footer evolved from just a line of text with the copyright, legal notice, or navigation into a mini repeated area which is filled with navigation, comments, recent posts, copyright, etc.

In this post, not only are we giving you samples of website footers for your inspiration, but also guiding you 5 important steps to remember whenever you are designing the footer.

Read the basic steps into great website footer creation with examples for your inspiration

Here.

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Guest Author Post: 35+ Warm VS Cool Color Website Designs

Ari Suardiyanti — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:50:13 +0000

A website resembles the identity of a company, a certain community, or even a person. Thousands of websites live out there on the internet these days, and their number increase every single second. Many of us realize how important a website can be, therefore the design for every website has to be unique, and more importantly has to have the right feel to it.

As a designer, we know how to play around with illustrations, typeface, and colors. I’m not going to get in too deep with illustrations or typeface, in this post but color. Some people classify websites from dark to bright website designs. Others classify them into minimalist and content heavy designs. But now let’s see website designs in the new perspective, in warm and cool colors.

See the selected 35+ Warm VS Cool Color Website Designs for your inspiration and the full post

Here.

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Guest Author Post: 4 Distinct Types of Website Illustrations

Ari Suardiyanti — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:21:42 +0000

There are many elements that designers can consider in creating a website design. Readable text, suitable icons, graphics, background colors or textures, and illustrations. Our eyes are much more easily attracted by designed shapes or figures rather than just plain text. This makes illustrations a very important part of design, as well as in web design. The type of illustrations in web designs may vary depending on the company’s context or concept.

See examples of 4 very distinct styles of website graphics you can select from in order to create a unique, eye-popping design as well as some excellent inspiration sites Here.

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Design in Fashion Industry – Nancy Zhang

Ari Suardiyanti — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:28:30 +0000

Fashion inspirations may come from anywhere. There are hundreds or perhaps thousands of fashion styles in this world. From the beginning time, colonial time, the 80′s, the 90′s, the vintage style, and more. To the fashion lover, their fashion style matters. To some of them, it’s a fun daily things. To her, fashion is her work as well.

Her name is Nancy Zhang. She’s currently living in Berlin, Germany. She is an illustrator who loves fashion and vintage stuff. What I really like the most from her work is that she turn the illustrations into her fashion daily styles. Or, may be the other way around as well. The styles she choose are influenced mostly by movies. Check her blog to find out more about her fashion inspirations and her daily fashion style.

Blog// Website//Lookbook.nu

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Guest Author Post: 35+ Beautiful Examples of Creative Collage

Ari Suardiyanti — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:45:07 +0000

With numerous graphic design software these days, creating aesthetic artworks is just a matter of artist’s or designer’s ideas, creativity, and concepts. The basic idea of design is to unite the concept and to visualize it in order to attract people’s attention and deliver the message and information. Collages are a perfect example for this. A collage may include pieces of related images, several different type of fonts, and a well-organized layout. This design technique made a dramatic reappearance in the early 20th century.

See the selected 35+ Beautiful Examples of Creative Collage for your inspiration and the full post

Here.

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Designer Signature Through Their Artwork

Ari Suardiyanti — Sat, 29 May 2010 23:40:26 +0000

Despite of graphic design being visually similar to the general idea of Art, its creativity within is absolute. Designers are able to visualize their ideas with or without following the rules in design principles. Some decided to follow it completely, while some other are following what they believe either ignoring it or in between. Through their concepts, every designers create unique look and feel of which are significant to their works. This what make them special, also easily be identified among others.

Illustrator

The obvious example in graphic design in term of this matter is the illustrators. I personally admire them. They have the skill to created what they are imagine into a visualization. Traditionally or digitally, illustrator work are amazing. It doesn’t mean that other creative under graphic design industry have ordinary work. Not at all, it is only transparent that illustrator works are easy to be identified. Take a closer look on their details, the drawing lines, the nuance of color, and sometimes the theme.

Pesic Vesna

Diela Maharani

Jared Nickerson

Typo Artist

They are similar to illustrator, except it could be said that they are addicted to alphabets and trying to make them look unusual, different from the existing ones, and make them able to speak the message and information (mostly) without the help of illustrations. Typography composition will be the main key. For them the alphabets are the illustration.

Vladimir Tomin

Adolfo Correa

Nacho Gallego

Icon Designer

Icons has been used since the ancient time in country like Egypt, and others. With one single drawing, icon could drive a perception, and make their audience understand their meaning without further instructions. One icon designer are unique in spite of various icons around the globe these days.

Gert Jan

Paul Davey

Teekatas

Web & Graphic Designer

As for graphic designer who focus on the print or web design, their signature will be seen on their layout, some could be seen through their use of colors, or even their concepts. Although it’s harder to see the difference between one web & graphic designer to another, if you take a moment to observe their work and their design potential, you will begin to see their value in the industry.

Marcel Pirosca

Jacques Pense

Burak Kaynak

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Design In Fashion Industry – Laura Laine

Ari Suardiyanti — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:30:13 +0000

Design hold a great role in visually marketing any kind or type of product. This also applied in fashion industry, yet it has greater impact unlike in other industries. Fashion is commonly the key to read a person’s personality. Yes, it is that saying,

Judge a book by its cover

applied in this industry. You probably think that it is not a big deal which shirt you wear today, but let me tell you how it really matters of what you decided to wear. A common guy always wear a business suit every time he fly to another city or country. He’s not going to attend a business meeting, but people who sees him dressing so nice like that will respect him, will threat him exclusively. Now you see the point how the saying applies in term of fashion.

Speaking of fashion, I’m currently in love with H&M Clothing. As a woman, I do care of how I look in public. What image I present to them through what I wear. And today I bought one of their shirt which illustration is made by Laura Laine. The illustration she created is gorgeous. The proportion of the body is similar to Barbie except it is amazingly beautiful. Her illustrations work focus on women, although there are also men illustration on her work like the one for Tommy Hilfiger. She is part of Darling Management, a creative agency based in Scandinavia. Her clients include Zara, Rad Hourani, The New York Times T magazine, Tommy Hilfiger, Elle Girl, Muse magazine, The Guardian, I.T Post magazine, H&M, Russian Elle, Iben Hoej, and Daniel Palillo. You can see more of her bio here.

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Get Inspired By Your Desktop Using GeekTool & CandyBar

Ari Suardiyanti — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:32:33 +0000

Inspiration comes from anywhere. With the technology we have today, it is only a matter of quality to feed your brain with selective inspirations to keep you going with new ideas. From browsing for inspiration on Google to reading people’s tweet of new inspiration post online. And if you notice, your desktop could also become one of the sources for it. How is it not? Many designers spent their time working on a wallpaper design with hope it will give them inspiration when they need it.

Your desktop is the closest inspiration source for you. Ever get bored with the ordinary look of your current desktop? Did you try using the most awesome wallpaper you could find to cheer up your desktop? Did it work? Well, for me it didn’t. For the past few years I changed my desktop wallpaper every once or twice in a month. But recently I changed it once or twice in a week. I just couldn’t figure out what I really want to be on my desktop that could also inspired me, until I saw one desktop screenshot from deviantArt. It was not the greatest desktop screenshot, but what he put on his desktop that interest me the most.

Ever heard GeekTool and CandyBar?

GeekTool

GeekTool is a PrefPane (System Preferences module) for Mac OS 10.5. It let you display on your desktop different kind of informations, provided 3 default plugins :

File plugin to monitor MacOS X activity with /var/log/system.log, or any file that you want to follow.Shell mode to launch custom scripts or commands like “df” to check space left on filesystems, “uptime” to monitor load of your machine… Finally, Image mode helps you monitor bandwith usage, CPU loads, memory availability of your server, via tools like MRTG or RRD.

Click here to download GeekTool.

I personally like this plugin. It allows me to put anything on my desktop, well not any anything, but most of things that I wanted. Say a board with some of my favorite pictures. Time, calendar, weather info, even add IP info or my Mac info on my desktop. How to do all that? Well, the image is simple, all you have to do is set the path or the image URL, then place it anywhere on your desktop. But others like calendar or weather info, those need some line of command. Below I have the links you can check for the command info.

http://www.mactricksandtips.com/2008/10/small-list-of-geektool-commands.html
http://www.keynote2keynote.com/2007/04/10/ultimate-geektool-setup-pimp-your-desktop-part-2/
http://www.macheist.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=12999
http://maketecheasier.com/geektool-turn-macs-desktop-into-information-center/2010/03/09
http://www.maclife.com/article/howtos/customize_your_desktop_geektool

Though, I still don’t know why I couldn’t get the weather image to show up on my desktop. I spent several hours working on this but I didn’t succeed. If you have this problem as well, then you know you’re not the only one :p

CandyBar

CandyBar allows you to change the system icons in Mac OS X that you normally can’t, including including the trash can, volumes, default folder, and more!
CandyBar 3 also now includes a full-featured icon organizer (formerly called Pixadex) that acts like an iPhoto for your icons: collect and store your icons in the same application you use to change them!

Click here to download CandyBar

Now that you have CandyBar installed on your Mac, you should begin your search for icons or icon sets that you like. Here are few links where you could get great quality icons.

http://weloveicons.com/
http://iconfactory.com/freeware/icon
http://frespiration.com/icon-index/

If you prefer to use your artwork, pictures or your own icon but kinda disappointed that it wasn’t the right type of file, go to iConverticons to convert your files to Mac or Windows icons.

Still need more inspiration for your desktop? Check out some of these beautiful screenshots using GeekTool and CandyBar.

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Guest Author Post: 40 Creative Twitter Status Designs for Your Inspiration

Ari Suardiyanti — Tue, 11 May 2010 17:18:13 +0000

This is my first post as a guest author for 1stWebDesigner.com. For you who is not familiar with the 1stWebDesigner.com yet, here a little bit about who they are.

1stwebdesigner is a design blog dedicated to bloggers, freelancers, web-developers and designers. Topics focus on web design,graphic design, tutorials and inspirational articles.

My first post, just like what the title is saying here, it’s about Twitter Status Design. Twitter has become one of the most popular social media sites by playing a major role in marketing and business for the past few years. People use Twitter for many purposes ranging from product marketing, spreading discount info, sharing interesting news to bizarre photos they found around the internet.

See the selected Twitter Status Design for your inspiration and the full post

here.

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