Lonely Pixel

The Picnik’s Over

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:03:04 +0000

It is a great shame that last week Google announced they were closing down their photo editing service Picnik, which they acquired at the beginning of 2010. Visiting the site now you will see a message posted by admin that Picnik will be closing from the 19^th April 2012 and that all that have paid for subscriptions will have a full refund.

The site offers a number of good quality and handy free editing tools as well as more advanced premium features which are available only to those who have purchased a subscription package. However due to the imminent closure of the site all tools are as of this week free to everyone.

Picnik is probably the most well loved of all the sites Google is axing in its most recent cull and there has been considerable backlash from its legion of avid users. Picnik is incredibly easy to use and has been utilized by businesses as well as personal use. Any organisation from a Birmingham takeout place to a london builders merchant can utilise the features of Picnik to create fun and eye catching advertising material for their companies.

The site is particularly popular with teenagers as it offers a number of face and body enhancing features such as eye brightening, a slimming tool, face smoothing and makeup applications. Young girls up and down the country expressed their dismay at the sites closure on twitter as they desperately seek for alternatives. With it’s aray of fun filters, photo enhancing capabilities, seasonal stamps and text options Picnik will be misssed by many people and with no real competition it is hard to see the logic in Google closing this site down.

Perhaps all this commotion about its closure will encourage the creating of replacement applications of similar specification, but i unfortunately i do fear none will be quite as good as the wonderful Picnik.

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Keep it smooth and efficient, get it right first time

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:41:23 +0000

I’ll get straight to the point: recently, I was asked to design a website for a certain Divorce solicitors who I won’t mention here. Now, I’ve designed a fair few websites in my time but this one was the exception to the rule: the client understood exactly what they wanted and easily got their concept across to me. This, in turn, made designing the site that much easier. So here, below, are a few tricks and tips I learned from pitching to them. Feel free to use them when you pitch and hopefully you will get the job! (Unless I am up against you, of course, in which case obviously I hope I get the job and not you! No offence!)

1) Ask plenty of questions: if you don’t ask plenty of questions in the beginning, how can you expect to know the project inside out? The truth is that you can never ask too many questions. If there is anything you are unsure of then iron this out on the first meeting and avoid an awkward situation or two later on.

Using technical jargon is all fine and well, but if your client doesn’t actually understand it then you’re just wasting your time!

2) Be prepared to take notes: it may sound utterly ridiculous, but you will need to take notes…even if you’ve done this a hundred times before and have a memory like an elephant. Taking notes ensures that fine details are correct. In the case of some solicitors, it means getting those all important minor things right. After all, every single business, no matter how similar to the next, is completely unique, right?

3) Do make eye contact: eye contact is an important thing when you’re deciding upon the way a website will be designed. Sites are so visual that it’s easy to tell if a client doesn’t like your idea. They’ll also be using their hands a lot to describe how the space on the screen should be filled. Take notice of this and you’ll get a much better idea of what it’s all about.

4) Don’t speak in riddles! Using technical jargon is all fine and well, but if your client doesn’t actually understand it then you’re just wasting your time! Use plain speech and show examples of what you mean by drawing sketches. It gets to the point much faster and you’ll be out of there sooner and onto the actual work!

Artists and relationships

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:03:09 +0000

The life of an artist is not an easy one. No matter what form of artistry you dedicate your life to, website design, illustration, theatre or music, sacrifices must be made. Unfortunately most of the time these sacrifices come in the form of relationships. When you are a full time artist, even for some of us that only dabble in our craft, you have to work hard and long to become truly great. Even if you were born with natural talent, you still have to study the history of your chosen craft in order to become truly remarkable. This studying takes up hours of your time each day and even if you walk away from a project, you are still thinking about ways to make that project be your best one yet.

Most artists rely on their muse to fuel their creativity. The muse is a fictitious man or woman, resembling a guardian angel that brings out your highest level of creative perfection. Your muse becomes your mistress and you find yourself relying more on it than any real people in your life.

Being in a relationship and being an artist is difficult. It takes a special kind of person to understand that your craft will most likely always come first. It might help to get involved with either a fellow artist or someone directly involved in the arts community. Otherwise, you run the risk of neglecting your loved one; and no one wants to spend the money on divorce solicitors just because they chose their craft over a real, live person.

When you are an artist, it is so easy to become consumed by a single idea for a project. You worry whether things are in the right place and you look for ways to make the project better. If your art is your livelihood, you worry about paying the bills if your project isn’t completed by the deadline. If you create and teach art, you feel the responsibility of training future artists.

The power of classic illustration

admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 20:03:03 +0000

Who would have thought that one day, the humble pen would be able to fight the all-powerful computer? Yet that’s the situation we find ourselves in now: while Photoshop allows anyone with a modicum of design ability to produce something half decent, the pen is coming back with a vengeance. That’s a welcome thing as far as I am concerned – because although computers offer a multitude of more advanced options, they can’t compete with classic illustrations and never will be able to.

Let’s imagine a scenario where classic illustration will thrive: Bob runs a shredding services company. Quite simply, the company’s job is to take sensitive data that must be completely destroyed, and…well…destroy it! The thing is, Bob isn’t a really big computer fan. He has this idea for a website which incorporates a classic look, almost as if someone has expertly illustrated the screen just like back in the day when the pen ruled. He doesn’t know what he wants, exactly, but when he makes a call to a web design firm down the road, he is pleased to discover someone else who is on the same page…

Customers like the look of someone who cares about their work, and believe this is a promising indication of a good working relationship.

Mark is not a really big computer fan either; he works with them, and uses design programmes very well, but his heart is in real drawing, and when he gets the call from this man Bob, he knows more or less instantly what he would like to do.

So he gets to work on a kind of moving illustration. It depicts reams of paper being shredded, with a light sound in the background that is somehow very satisfying. He invites Bob to come and have a look, and the second Bob sees the hand-made look of the site – which shows that real attention to detail has been painstakingly applied – he knows it is perfect. He gives Mark a hug and it’s all a bit overwhelming. Mark isn’t used to people getting this worked up about his drawings, but still, he can put up with it.

The key thing here – the thing which made Bob’s company go on to have immense success – is individuality. Bob gets work because he is different, and catches peoples eyes. Customers like the look of someone who cares about their work, and believe this is a promising indication of a good working relationship.

Sometimes, a simple drawing can be better than a thousand words and anything Photoshop can throw at you.

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The Use of Flash

admin — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 15:03:05 +0000

No matter whether we are talking about tins producer or a huge watch maker we will all see that the flash content on websites is playing more and more significant role in the web design techniques especially by big companies. And I say big companies because I have seen some truly successful flash-based websites that look absolutely stunning and that make browsing rather enjoyable. However, it does sometimes lack accuracy or speed but it is still enjoyable for the eye and just makes me wanna buy the goods of the people who made the website - especially the ones associated with watches.

The first really fascinating thing about flash is that it allows the incorporation of interactive design - thus the user can actually move around the item he is previewing, or switch view angles with easy. The control over flash content is conducted only with the use of the motion of the mouse pad of your computer which makes it extremely user-friendly. Flash design also delivers motion approaches that allow the distribution of more information over a website making it more useful and attractive to consumers.

The design itself is also quite enjoyable to the eyes. It is true that ordinary web content remains preferable by most of the web site owners but nevertheless, if you want more visitors enjoying your website, going for flash content is the best ways. It allows you to incorporate videos, sounds and motions much more easily than any other type of web design. And sometimes this is what actually sells a product.

Unravelling fonts…

admin — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:06:25 +0000

I remember the first time I looked at a font and thought it odd: I was in my dad’s study and my dad was messing about trying different fonts. Every time he changed the font it was a new and interesting thing and I would give him my opinion on it. Sometimes I would say “Too messy.” Other times I would say “Too odd”. But all those times I never really knew what it was that was different or strange or unique about them. That didn’t occur to me for a few more years yet.

I was 14 when I really started to analyse fonts and think of them as more than just funny squiggles. By 16 I knew about serifs, line spacing and why clarity was important, and by 18 I knew what most fonts looked like and had a good understanding of what makes a good font. Now I am going to share my understanding with you readers here (and by my understanding I mean half my opinion and what I believe as half fact).

Take Courier New for example. A classic case of a font which is ideal for just reading, but isn’t exactly the most elegant font

To start with, a font must be readable. This has to be the case or it’s not going to be functional, and that is what a font is for after all. This is where it gets tricky: obviously there are degrees of readability and everyone has their own idea of this, so you can’t really win.

Now we move onto how well the font flows. This is different to readability. For example, some very clear, ultra-readable fonts don’t flow very well and have parts to them which almost make me want to cry. Take Courier New for example. A classic case of a font which is ideal for just reading, but isn’t exactly the most elegant font in modern existence.

Next up it’s time to look at the line spacing. Is there masses of white? This is no good. Or, conversely, is the text all squished together in a way that makes you wonder what the inventor of the font was thinking? In either case something is wrong, and here is why.

Line spacing is crucial: it’s vital for getting the message across, and essential if you want the font to remain invisible and the words to shine through. It doesn’t matter if you’re spelling My metal boxes or Can we go out to a movie? Font is one of the most critical obstacles out there on the front line between communication and understanding.

Importance of a Business Logo

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:33:06 +0000

The importance of a company’s logo can never be underestimated. It is the identifying element of the brand for a company, business, product or economic entity. Its purpose is to create an immediate recognition by the viewer. It should be unique and designed in such a manner as to avoid confusion in the eyes of the general public, suppliers and users and at the same time, it helps the company to stand out of the remaining lot.

In fact, this aspect of standing out is so important that a failure in this regard is one of the primary causes for about half of all businesses to fail in the first couple of years. It has also been observed that business owners put off designing a logo until the business ‘gets started’. This very attitude may result in the business not taking off. While looking for some free antivirus software online I found out that some of the websites that were offering antivirus software had logos that looked very unfriendly. It looked as if the program they offer may be a spyware in itself.

It is best to get the logo professionally created rather than treat it like some DIY job. The logo contributes to the business’s credibility and visibility – two factors that help it grow and achieve success.

While it is quite easy in this day and age to create your own logo, not having a good sense of what you want to achieve may result in a wrong logo creating an adverse effect. Changing it later to align with newfound direction will give an impression that the business is not stable.

Using a logo that is not professionally designed will make your business look amateurish. Worse, it may indicate that you cannot meet the required standards. This can also create the impression that your business does not matter to you; that you do not care about the quality of your work. It will also make it appear unfocussed. So make sure that your logo is impressive and sends the right message to your customers.

Nokia not out yet

admin — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:33:09 +0000

The Nokia phone design has always been one that millions of user instantly equated with the mobile phone market. Many of us who first bought mobile phones had a Nokia and have stayed with the company ever since. Brand loyalty can be a very powerful tool in design terms.

A report by the BBC in early June shows light at the end of the tunnel for the Finnish giant that has had many problems this year. Nokia have won an ongoing patent infringement settlement from Apple and now may be set to receive royalties from Apple every time an iPhone is sold. The phrase ‘connecting people'has never had more ironic meaning as Nokia looks set to scoop a large chunk of Apple’s profits following the settlement.

I feel secretly pleased for Nokia though. Their sleek Smartphone media designs have always been poorly compared to the iPhone since it came onto the market in 2007, but Nokia’s layout is just as simple and some would argue more user friendly then Apple’s. Plus there is the compatibility issue that Nokia has never had. Apple has never made things easy with trying to get the best internet and broadband deals, but with Nokia it’s as simple as just switching sim cards in knowing how to get around roaming charges.

Let’s hope that the Nokia brand will continue to exist in some way moving forward. Their designs are always fresh and personally, I am getting a little fed up with seeing a half eaten apple every where I turn on the high street.

RIA Application Development: Simple Benefits

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:03:13 +0000

Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) are characterized by the integration of the best functionality of desktop software applications user interface with the wide reach and deployment of Web applications as well as the best of multimedia, interactive communication.

These applications are created and implemented to boost total website productivity. With the addition of RIAs, versatile website features will be added by website developers and websites will become more attractive, interactive and interesting. Suffice to say, RIAs are designed and added to offer a better working experience to all users as well as improve website presence over the Internet.

With Rich Internet desktop applications, users with customized website development experience can easily make an update to a certain portion of the page instead of completing the whole page. There will be a fast and easy transfer of data to the server from one form to another. These applications minimize the congestion and enhance the level of performance.

Moreover, the development and addition of RIAs to Internet operations enables users to make visually attractive photos. They will be able to access these applications anywhere and anytime they want and connect to other users through messengers and video conferences.

So like certain technology such as 4G applications, R4 cards, and operating systems for phones, the RIA application is a great resource for business as it promotes the business and how websites are used. It is conceivable that the businesses of the future will be using RIA application development to enhance their web presence and interactive communications.

Some Important Issues to Be Considered In Typography

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:03:08 +0000

Typography is defined as the discipline and procedure about type layout and the art of processing of type that includes the length, point size, line spacing and the typefaces. Earlier typography represented a specialized occupation until the computerized era, when it opened up to new ages of visual creative designers.

The mechanical press was invented in the mid fifteenth century by the German Goldsmith, Johannes Gutenberg. It was Gutenberg who developed some of the unique techniques of creating letter punches in large quantity which are required for printing of multitude copies of text. The printing technology revolutionized itself with the discovery and development of this technique.

In modern typography there are many issues to be considered when deciding about choosing a font type and also the layout of the text. Some of the issues that are to be considered in modern typography are:

The Context

This means that the visual appeal of typography is not specified by the person who is laying out the text of a page. It is done through the response of the font to the specific words that the text is comprised of.

Contrast and Stress

Earlier the “thins” and “thicks” of a letter were based on the direction, angle and pressure of a pen. However in type, the stress is defined as the direction in which the curve of a stroke changes its weight. There are three types of stress in typography. They are the (i) Angled or oblique (ii) The semi-oblique and (iii) The vertical stress. The contrast means the amount of the variation that happens in between the thick and thin strokes.

Revival versus the construction

There are many designers who use typefaces after learning about their construction. A typeface that is simple and has a repetitive pattern lacks in individuality in the letters and thus makes it difficult to distinguish from each other. High contrast between the foreground letters and the background paper should also be considered in typography.

Apart from these, the right size of the font matters too, after all you wouldn’t want the font to be as big as r4i cards nor as small as a dot.