Adobe CS4 rocks!

I recently installed the latest Design Premium of Creative Suite 4 from Adobe, courtesy of our good office, Orange & Bronze Software Labs. I admit that I had not maximized the full power of CS3 and I had used it only for basic layouts and very simple effects but this CS4 has blown me away.

I have just been using this (Photoshop and Illustrator) for less than a week so I might not share a whole bunch of new features but these points are worthy of attention:

1. Tabbed artworks.

This feature means so much especially when there's more than one opened artwork and you need to juggle between each of them at the same time. Same thing with what browsers did, this minimizes noise and clutter, allowing designers to easily navigate through the illustrations.

2. Multiple Artboards

Multiple artboards scattered everywhere is a thing of the past. In CS4, you can have multiple artworks within 1 file. You can have up to 100 artboards of varying sizes, you can save, export or print artboards independently or together. So cool!

3. Easily select overlapping elements:

One of my nightmares in CS3 is to select an element through overlapping elements. It is likely that you select the topmost element and it has to be locked to get to the next element, or disable the "preview mode" to get to your desired element more precisely. In CS4, I appreciate that its effortless to select an element in preview mode even if its few levels under. The element is highlighted when hovered, making it easier to select.

4. Streamlined Tools Panels

This makes it look more uncluttered even if most tools are visible. They removed the soft corners, I also love the way borders are minimized.

Yet another reason to be productive. Thanks O&B for the CS4! :-)

Yahoo PingBox!

It's been a very long time since I visited this Blog! Anyway, i got something to share! I was browsing the net for some SEO insights when I got into a site that has a chat feature. It uses a Yahoo PingBox to get prompt inquiries from site visitors.

Interesting and very easy to install and use! Looking forward to more features and enhancement. :-)

Its Flash based so browsers should get the latest version of Flash to make this feature enabled.
I installed it on my sidebar, just below the Ads. Try it! :-)

Here's the link:
http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/pingbox/

Notes on Designing Products Page

I was reading this article in "www.thedough.co.uk/blog" about Poor Product Description in websites.

The author stated 6 points that a web designer must take into consideration when creating the "products page". these are:

1. Avoiding dependence on pure textual descriptions.

2. Using Lifestyle Imagery.

3. Employing interactive views.

4. Details, details and details

5. Information Hierarchy

6. Making cross and up-sells

Some notes on investing on good imagery.

Often, we forget that there are things that affect the viewing patterns of surfing buyers. The way products are presented takes part in efficiently getting consumer's attention.

When browsing products on a website, we're not there to touch it, to feel it. Investing in a good photography helps the viewers more appreciate what you're trying to sell. Instead of very long text description of what it does, it's more effective to use imagery. One good example of this can be seen in the apple website (www.apple.com). The website shows you very clear images of their products, and what it does.

Often when we sell something, you also sell the lifestyle of having that product. If we're trying to sell an expensive or exclusive product, proper use of imagery would be of great help to imply who we are selling the products for.

As a graphic designer, i tend to be more inclined on aesthetics. Often, our vision tells us lots of things that we encounter. We judge some things by how it looks. Just a glance, we know if we'll like it. Looking at something thats pleasing dictates a different feel.

Goodbye PC, Hello Mac.

Got my new Macbook after months and months of staring at the apple website. Now its in my hands, its very precious and beautiful. This is the best christmas gift i have ever given to myself. 

Now il be more energetic and inspired to do my creative works. Time to be mobile now, the idea of ugly and cluttered cords, big and spacious CPU and monitor is a thing of the past. I will just give my old PC to my nanay who needs a computer at work. One more thing, I think I need a bit of self-branding. I should look credible in designing and making things beautiful. Things that I have would remind people and potential clients about my taste.  Time to move on. Good bye PC, hello Mac. Hello new world. :-)

OnB Shirts

Time to stretch our brand to the world!
We’re literally taking our name to a trip as we put on our symbols.
Even our little office pet “Oyange” feels good to have it.

I miss my 3d jobs

Its been more than a year since a stopped creating 3D designs for exhibition booths, store designs, and other visual merchandising design works. Im happy with what I do now and I feel empowered by my new skills like web designing, etc., but somehow I miss the things that I was doing in my previous job. I miss 3D max. Few years back I remember the first program that I used to set up every morning - 3D Studio Max . It became part of my routine to experiment with lighting and shapes in a 3 dimensional environment. That was the part that I enjoyed most in a 3D software.

When I was designing exhibition booths clients are ok with plain and simple elements, but it's very important to achieve a balanced and accurate lighting, I believe this helps emphasize the areas and elements that need to get more attention, like the areas for brand name, product displays, etc.

I am so amazed at how light creates texture which brings the logo out and stunnning, like what I did to one of the designs I created for mitsubishi. The booth was so high, it was an advantage for the brand to stand out. Light created enough radiance for the logo in a very simple way.



Aside from directing the viewer to an important area, one of the challenges is develop designs that align with time constrains and budget.. Hmmm i know, most of the time we used only timber constructed modules and steel, We seldom used expensive materials unless that would be provided by the client. But I find it really a pleasure to have had that kind of work even though I have no background in "Interior Design". Maybe one day I will have the chnace to design again, not for a client but for my own set which I could call a home or house...or home..whatever...

My simple thoughts on direct designing.

When I focus my attention to people, faces seem to set a somewhat spectrum of aura in me. Some have wonderful features, others are quite plain, and sometimes I feel negative looking at them, but often, lots of people look noticeably great! At times, we don’t know why, we just feel it. But putting things into a closer look, there has to be an explanation how and why things do and do not go together. It’s about proportion, bone structures, symmetry, contour, outlines, harmony, contrast, and how you carry it.

I get the same concept when looking at designs and layouts. Elements that we see normally occupy weight in our vision, attract attention depending on their properties- I find it interesting for a design element to put itself on top of your focus even if its placed somewhere at the bottom (this is what they call visual weight).

I already accepted the fact that people treat you based on what you dictate them to, same thing with designs, we look at them based on what they imply. We would never want to express impurity, incompetence and inefficiency when we develop a visual identity for a medical institution. Many creative masters stated that designs should establish credibility. I also learned that designs should express what they stand for (we might not be always present to rationalize verbally), serve a function according to why they are created. I learned that it should clarify a sense of integrity.

There are times when I get overwhelmed with lots of filters and effects that I could use to add spark to my designs, it’s nice to add manipulations in a design that would make people ask “How did you do that?”, but when I look at someone who I cant recognize because of too much make-up, I wonder would I have my concept stand out, or just flaunt with accents that saturate all the details. I have found out in some cases that simplicity and unity are important to be able for an idea to be communicated.