Creative Beacon

A Few New Tutorials

jgeorge — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:53:50 +0000

I have a few new tutorials you should check out.

Creating Seamless Background Patterns for the Web shows you how to set up your document in Photoshop and create your very own seamless patterns for your websites. Textures and patterns are big in web design right now, and it you do them right, your site will look excellent.

Using Multiple Backgrounds For Flexibility in Web Design shows you how to take multiple images and apply them to your website for a scalable background that will work with short pages, long pages and anything in-between. This is a great alternative to patterns, and can make your site create and unique.

Create a Reusable CSS Menu In Photoshop shows you how to mock up a navigation menu in Photoshop, and then use pieces from it to build it in CSS. Once you ... Read More »

The Beautiful Work of Finnish Artist Johannes Neumeier

jgeorge — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:41:48 +0000

I came across the 3D work of Johannes Neumeier yesterday, and was stricken with the mood and the impact of his work. Neumeier is an artist and designer from Finland, and he is definitely an artist to be looking out for. You can find him on Behance, or you can view is portfolio here.

You might also like: Resume Tips for Designers and other Creative Fields Why I Respect Professional Photographers Places to go for Creative Inspiration #9 Should Pentagram Sue? Would it do any good? Is Education the Key to Design Success? Read More »

Why I buy Apple: My Personal Experience

jgeorge — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:54:47 +0000

In this day and age, customer service seems like a rarity, but I had an experience this past week with the Apple Store that really made me a loyal customer for life. I was filled with excitement 2 weekends ago, because I was in a position where it was time to upgrade to the newest 15″ Macbook Pro. The accelerated graphics and the raw power of the machine would allow me to do some things with 3D that my older Intel Macbook just wouldn’t do. My Macbook was an awesome machine, and I definitely got my money’s worth out it, doing countless freelance jobs, in web and print design. I went into the Apple Store and purchased a brand new Macbook Pro 2.66 Ghz Core 2 duo, and took it home, imported all of my ... Read More »

More Gradient Options with Adobe Fireworks

jgeorge — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:49:36 +0000

Adobe Fireworks has a few more control settings than Photoshop when it comes to certain things, and gradients are one of them. In Photoshop, you have your typical Radial gradients, linear, angle, reflected and diamond. You can also create transparent gradients, but in Fireworks, you can do all of that, as well a a few other options.

Go into the Properties panel and choose the tab that allows you to change the fill. You can fill an object with nothing, a solid color, patterns, a gradient, or you can select more options. Here you can choose from a bunch of different gradient options, such as folds, ripples, etc. You can also choose from a bunch of different color presets, like you can in Photoshop, but here you can also feather the gradient, and preview it live, and you can add a ... Read More »

A simple App that you just have to check out: Wunderlist

jgeorge — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:29:52 +0000

I am always looking for neat ways to keep track of things. I am the type of person that likes to make checklists and check them off as I go. I am forgetful sometimes, that is just part of my personality. However, that doesn’t work so well when having multiple clients, a house to take care, a family, bills, meetings, and more. One amazingly simple app that I came across is simple, intuitive and syncs across all apple devices, which is great! I sync it across my laptop at home, my work computer, and my ipod touch. Soon, it will be available for Android devices, which is the type of phone that I have. The best part about the whole thing is that the app is free! You can customize the background, and ... Read More »

My Predictions For Design and Development in 2011

jgeorge — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:16:11 +0000

I like how so many people like to say that web design and graphic design is going to do this and that. Honestly, I don’t think anyone knows where the world of design, web design and web development is going to to be by the end of the year. Some people say that we need to all jump on the HTML5 bandwagon and that we need to get up to speed ASAp because it is the next wave of the future and blah blah blah.

I think that HTML5 is great in its own respect, but it isn’t the standard yet and it doesn’t work across all browsers, so I don’t see it as a viable way to make a site just yet. The way that web designers and developers are going to stay successful this year is to create a ... Read More »

Where Did Sexy Go in This Armani Black Code Commercial?

jgeorge — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 03:00:19 +0000

Normally, when I think of Giorgio Armani, I think of mystique, sexy, romantic, masculine, etc. Most people think of these things when they think of Armani. They make amazing suits and are considered as fashion gods. Normally, they really hit the nail on the head regarding their commercials. You are usually transported to a magical setting where an amazingly attractive couple are intertwined, or a man and a woman are intimately close. You can feel the connection and the passion, and the romance is overwhelmingly evident. I love their commercials, as they are usually exemplary in evoking powerful emotions.

With that being said, the other day I had the television on while I was doing things around the house, when I heard this strange scary music flooding my home. Beings a horror film fanatic, I rushed in to see what movie ... Read More »

The Importance of Including Sketches in your Portfolio

jgeorge — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:44:47 +0000

As art artist, designer and illustrator, I have come to understand the importance of sketching. Sketching is the proverbial drawing board. It is the place where our ideas start, and where we can put them down on paper. I have found that sketching helps tremendously in getting the ball rolling when I am stuck on trying to come up with a concept.

Why Sketch?

Sketching tends to free your mind. They don’t need to be large sketches. They can be rather small. Most of us who use them already call them thumbnails, mainly because they are roughly the size of your thumbnail. I find that it helps to do dozens of these sketches, as many as possible, as your mind tends to wander, and you can weed out all of the obvious solutions to your client’s problems. The point of your sketches ... Read More »

4 Major Things to Do to Prepare For the New Year

jgeorge — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 03:14:39 +0000

1. Get all of your accounting in order. This is the time of the year, where you make sure that all of your paperwork for the previous year is filed away, and all of your book keeping is organized.

2. Clean up your computer. It is always good to start with a clean slate. You should do this regularly, but if you haven’t, it would be a good idea to back up your computer. I have a macbook, and I used time machine to back up my 320GB hard drive. It is simple, and it reminds me ever so often when I haven’t backed up in a while. Also, now would be a great time to go through all of your files and archive or get rid of anything that you don’t really need. This makes room on your computer, and allows you ... Read More »

The Sometimes Humorous Side of Being a Designer

jgeorge — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 19:19:27 +0000

This article is made to be more funny than anything, just because of how people think when they know, or are friends with a graphic designer. Sometimes it can be really frustrating when being a designer, because a lot of people assume that you can do things that aren’t part of your job.

The prime example would be in my personal life. Everyone assumes that because I am a graphic designer, illustrator, and web designer, that I can draw or paint like one of the great masters. I find this humorous, because my painting skills are amateur at best. I am mainly a digital artist, but most of my friends assume that I can paint anything from memory. I remember when my daughter was around 2-years-old, and my wife asked me to paint a mural on her wall of Disney characters ... Read More »