Tag: design resources

In our blog 'Design Essentials – Typefaces' we talked about the use of serif and sans serif, and the differences between typeface styles. Now we want to expand on that topic and talk about effective typography, and choosing typefaces for web.

Just like bad designs, bad typography can turn clients away from your website.

It is important in web design to review the font you choose as much as possible, especially for Windows. Fonts need to be compatible across different browsers and screen resolutions. There are a few sites that allow users to preview font in different sizes before you purchase them; www.myfonts.com, www.dafont.com and www.fontfonter.com to name a couple.

Decorative typefaces may look good as a header, but when shrunk down, the details can get lost or overcrowded. This is why it is essential to test different sizes of the font before you use it throughout your website. That way you know exactly what some people might be seeing when viewing with a smaller screen.

Another thing to consider when choosing a typeface is the height or size difference between the letters. It is very hard to read a large body of text that is squished or has no difference between heights. For example:

In large sizes they are both easy to read, but if you can imagine the first typeface in smaller sizes and used throughout a whole webpage it would take you longer to work out the letters as opposed to the second typeface.

Choosing the right font is important in all design areas, whether its web design or logo design. A vital part of design is to research what is already out there and what has been used or overused. Knowing what your competitors are using allows you to break away and stand out.

We mentioned in a previous blog that Helvetica is one of the most used typefaces in the world. Sometimes industries will stick to the same font types, especially Helvetica, because it is clean, simple and has a range of weights (light, condensed, heavy, bold, etc).

In the motor vehicle industry, Toyota, Jeep, BMW, Kawasaki and even Harley Davidson all use the Helvetica typeface (to name a few). While it does have it's benefits, always remember to keep things fresh and interesting, especially when it comes to your competition. There are many other typefaces that can reflect your business, from funky to clean and professional all you have to do is look a little further!

Contact Zise in Darwin to find out what we can do for your logo or website, or contact us online at 08-8947 4485.

Some of you might be heard that Adobe has released the new and anticipated CS5!

Here is a quick list of the new and enhanced features in CS5.

Illustrator – Top 5 Features
1.    Perspective Drawing
2.    Beautiful Strokes
3.    Bristle Brush
4.    Shape Builder tool
5.    Multiple Artboard 

http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/whatsnew/?PID=3751719

Photoshop – Top 5 Features
1.    Content Aware Fill
2.    Better edge detection & masking
3.    Precise warp or stretch graphics with the Puppet Tool
4.    Wet Paint
5.    Brush stroke effect

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/whatsnew/index.html?segment=design

InDesign – Top 5 Features
1.    Multiple page sizes
2.    Adobe mini Bridge
3.    Redesigned Layers Panel
4.    Tracking text changes
5.    Paragraphs that span or split columns

http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/whatsnew/

Sorry for the vast distances between posts... As promised here are some more handy tips for typography and some links to find out more!

Understanding The Basics

Type Alignment

You can read more about the information above by visiting -

Over the next little while we will be posting some information relating to Design Essentials. We hope you enjoy the postings. Lets start by explaining typefaces.

Type is used for a variety of purposes and is basically surrounding us. There are plenty of ways typography is used, such as in books, posters, newsletters, cards and just about anything you could think about.

Typography not only helps the communication process but is also used for creative and artistic reasons. For instance, type can be very useful in attracting a viewer or consumer to your brand. There are a variety of options you must face when using typography and these will be explained in our later posts.

To start with, here is some information on typefaces. You will notice that the most common typefaces are Serif and Sans Serif.

Serif - This typeface has the little strokes on the ends of each letter. Serif is used most commonly in printed materials such as magazines, books etc.

Sans Serif - This sytle of typeface has clean ending and are typically used for headings, signage and other areas where you need high readability (print).

When using typefaces for the Web, you will notice that most of these are using the Sans Serif Typeface as it is easier to read on lower screen resolutions monitors.

Common Sans Serif typefaces are Arial, Verdana and Helvetica

Ornamental Typeface - These are usually used for decorative purposes and are not really suitable for body text.

Symbol Typeface - This is used for symbol purposes. An example of a symbol typeface is wingdings or Dingbats

Script Typeface - The usuage of this typeface is to simulate handwriting or calligraphy. This typeface is not usually used with body text as it becomes difficult to read. 

Here are a couple more you can read about

Monospaced Typeface
Gaelic Typeface
Blackletter Typeface
Mimicry Typeface

Stay tuned for our next posting...
 
 

Looking for free applications for your computer? Here are a few that you might want to check out!

• OpenOffice.org - The Free and Open Productivity Suite - Mac

The Application is just like Microsoft Office but Free!

• GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program - Windows and Mac

Can't afford Photoshop and want to do some design? Well maybe you should try GIMP as a Photo Editing Application

• VLC media player - Open Source Multimedia Framework and Player - Windows and Mac

VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player and multimedia framework capable of reading most audio and video formats (MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, DivX, MPEG-1, mp3, ogg, aac ...) as well as DVDs, Audio CDs VCDs, and various streaming protocols. 

• Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder - Windows and Mac

Audacity® is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems.

• FileZilla - The free FTP solution - Windows and Mac

FileZilla Client is a fast and reliable cross-platform FTP, FTPS and SFTP client with lots of useful features and an intuitive graphical user interface.

• CyberDuck

FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, Cloud Files & Amazon S3 Browser for Mac OS X.

Please note: All downloads and products are provided by third parties in accordance with their individual licensing & purchasing terms. Review and evaluate all information and necessary technical requirements before downloading games and software. Please support developers and sponsors by donating to them, purchasing their products and visiting their sites. Zise assumes no responsibility with regard to the use of downloads, demos or products. Trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.