The Graphic Mac

Is the Apple Watch a stalled platform?

Links
5 Dec, 2015

I reply to a large portion of text messages from the watch, using customized quick responses. Tracking my exercise has helped me lose 10 pounds. But that’s about it. And they are pretty much the same ways I used the watch when I first got it.

The platform simply feels stalled.

I recall a lot of journalists claiming the same thing about the Apple TV years ago. The Apple Watch is going to take some time to become a mainstream device that everyone wants or has. Right now, it doesn’t offer anything new, it just offers another way to see what you already can on your phone. It’s going to take time to train people to leave their phone in their pockets and use the watch instead—and even longer to make that a habit that users don’t want to be without.

Mayer fails to bet the Yahoo! farm

Internet / Links
4 Dec, 2015

Mayer fails to bet the Yahoo! farm

Over all, Yahoo remains much the same business it was three years ago. It is a far-flung collection of news, entertainment and communications destinations supported by ads. Ms. Mayer was hired to build something novel. Instead, at best, she appears to be building a better Yahoo — with debatable results.

We all know Yahoo needs to do SOMETHING to shake things up. The debatable question is WHAT? Everybody is quick to point out that Mayer isn’t doing anything… but nobody seems to have a solution.

Font use inspiration

General / Links
2 Dec, 2015

Font use inspiration

Have a look at FontsInUse for some great font inspiration for your next design job. The examples are large images, complete with the names of the fonts used in the piece. There’s some really great work here, definitely worth checking out.

Extensis offers free Type Trends Report

General / Links
1 Dec, 2015

Most overused fonts
Type Trends Report Extensis, makers of Suitcase Fusion and Universal Type Server, surveyed thousands of graphic designers, art directors and creative people from around the globe to learn what they think about current trends in typography. The Typographic Trends report is free to download.

Free picture frame images

Resources
30 Nov, 2015

Don’t deny it, every once in a while you have a need for a photo of a picture frame. Sounds crazy, but you know it’s true. Free Photo Frames to the rescue. Over 250 high-res images of picture frames are yours for the taking. They range from old conservative frames, to wacky modern ones.

Preview and download Free Photo Frames here.

49 free promo backdrops & gradients

Resources
24 Nov, 2015

Created by LA-based designer, Vladimir Kudinov, Hue is a collection of 49 free backdrops and gradients that lend atmosphere to layouts and product shots. These are perfect for showing off products in Keynote and PowerPoint presentations, as well as backgrounds for web designs.

The PNG images are sized at 2800 x 2000 pixels @ 72dpi, or 9.3 x 6.6 inches @ 300dpi; so they can be used in high-res print work as well.

Download 49 Backdrops & Gradients here (direct download link). You can also download a SKETCH file containing the collection, along with use examples from the Bechance page here.

Can you really replace Mac OS X’s Finder?

Mac & OS X
23 Nov, 2015

When I decided to take a look at Commander One, I did so with the expectation that I was going to be looking at something that was equal to or better than apps I was already familiar with and/or used on a regular basis—such as XtraFinder, Path Finder, Transmit, etc.. After looking at the feature list of Commander One, I immediately wondered if it could possibly deliver on the promises it made.

Commander One is what you would call a Finder Enhancement app. It simply recreates Finder windows and adds a multitude of tweaks and features to them. This is nothing new; XtraFinder does this to some extent, and and Path Finder have done these things for years. But Commander One promises to offer Path Finder-level features, plus a built-in FTP manager, at an affordable price through the Mac App Store—where you have the luxury of installing it on five Macs at a time. (more…)

Spec work: Think of the “exposure” you’ll get!

General
6 Nov, 2015

I LOVE this video. The fun part is (allegedly) that an ad agency produced this video, and the business owners in it are not actors, and were unaware of what the video was about.

The light bulb at Microsoft finally turned on…

General / Links
3 Nov, 2015

The light bulb at Microsoft finally turned on...

A little bulb hanging somewhere over a manager’s desk at Microsoft has finally shed enough light that somebody with half a brain could read the memo that Apple, and many other service companies, have understood for years.

The race to the bottom yields nothing worth having.

Users of Microsoft’s “Unlimited Storage” OneDrive service found out that they’re hosed, and going to have to find somewhere else to store their terabytes of pirated movies.

Folks, there’s just no such thing as a free lunch. There are plenty of free services out there, but even companies the size of Google kill products and services with little warning. Others may start out free, or offer something too good to be true, but come to their senses shortly after you decide it’s critical to your workflow.

If you find a service valuable, pay for it.

From the ‘no-duh’ department: Print is more valuable than digital

General
29 Oct, 2015

As a primarily print designer, the news of Temple University’s Fox School of Business study that showed that print (advertising) is more valuable than digital was music to my ears. That being said, I have to wonder why it took what I’m sure was a time-consuming and expensive study to illustrate the obvious. Here are my thoughts on their findings:
(more…)

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