online magazines

Could online magazines be the future? These are two sites you can browse online magazine: zinio.com and magazine.org. Do you think online magazines will replace print magazines in the future?

how important is communication?

Even though this is meant to be funny, I think it shows how important and how difficult it is to communicate something. Especially when you're working on a project for someone else and you are trying to give them what they want.

show and tell: unnecessary process

I was in a Starbucks restroom and noticed instructions on how to wash your hands printed on the paper towel dispenser. I didn't have a camera with me to snap a shot, but I did manage to jot the instructions down:

1. Wet
2. Soap
3. Wash (for 20 seconds)
4. Rinse
5. Dry
6. Turn off water(with paper towel)

An unnecessary process in itself, but really, do they need to tell you to turn the water off?

in the imovie spirit

I came across this video. It's a cute narrative. It even has a conflict.

not so private

A friend of mine went to New York this weekend and was telling me about his favorite bar. They put rock candy in their Mojitos! And they have the glass, fog-up-when-you-lock-the-door bathrooms that were brought in up in class two weeks ago. You can see the doors unfogged and fogged up with "occupied" lit up on the door. In case you want to check it out, it's Bar 89.

wiki, wiki wah?

This site fits right in with our last project, describing a process. Head to this site and you can find how to do just about anything. I'm pretty sure this site falls into the same category as Wikipedia. It is a wiki, after all. And wikis are not to be trusted. So, take a gander and get some ideas, but don't steal theirs.

you can do it too

Have you ever noticed the Designer Spotlight on istockphoto? It's a great place to go to get your brain thinking or just to look at some of the ways people use images from istock.

Check out this brochure. Kathleen Cox created this tri-fold brochure from these two simple istock images. You can find many more examples in the Designer Spotlight.

show and tell: definition

From Cinderella

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you will lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep

Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbows will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
the dream that you wish will come true

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're feeling small
Alone in the night you whisper
Thinking no one can hear you at all
You wake with the morning sunlight
To find fortune that is smiling on you
Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow
For all you know, tomorrow
The dream that you wish will come true

A dream is a wish your heart makes...

A dream is a wish your heart makes...

You wake with the morning sunlight
To find fortune that is smiling on you
Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow
For all you know, tomorrow
The dream that you wish will come true

No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true

narration can be a pain

Awhile back I read the book 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky. After show and tell this week, I got to thinking about this book as a narrative. The story is told by a teenage boy through letters he's written to an anonymous person. I continued to think about this book as I worked on my iMovie. There are many different ways to approach narration. I'd been having trouble deciding how to narrate my iMovie - an actual narrator, just music or words on the screen. Not to mention wondering if I should use first person or third-person omniscient or even a limited third-person omniscient! Thinking about alternative narration methods helped me step back and think about an interesting way to do it.

wow

I came across Aaron Goodman's photography Web site the other day. He is an amazing photo illustrator. His images are so compelling and thought provoking. He's very clever. I also love this site because when you drag the mouse over the gray box, he gives a briefing on the concept and shows the original sketch. I love looking at the original sketch ideas and seeing where he went with the project. It's like he just breathes life into the sketches.

show and tell: narrative

My brother wrote this poem about his experience as a bull rider.

On the Other Side of the Chutes

It's all entertainment from seats in the stands
with yelling and cheering and clapping your hands
It's something quite different when going behind
Where cowboy's ropes hang from the fence in a line

The rosin is warming the glove starts to stick
Your mind starts to race for the ride's coming quick
Put on your chaps, and hook your spurs to your boots
The announcer yells out, "they're all in the chutes"

The rope is all ready so zip up your vest
Strap on your glove and put your grip to the test
Music is blaring, you don't pay attention
The ride which awaits is all concentration

"This is a rank one," your friends do kindly tell
As the guy before you drops into the well
Sit upon the back and settle in your seat
A spur makes 'im jump so careful of your feet

The rope is pulled tight and wrapped around your hand
In eight short seconds you'll find out where you stand
Your eyes on the spot you firmly nod your head
Then out through the gate the bull begins to tread

Several jumps to the left, then back to the right
Trying hard to stay on you grip very tight
Some times you make the ride, some times you do not
It's all part of the dream you've lived for and fought

At the end of the ride you dust off your chaps
Look out to the stands and thank 'em for the claps
With head high or head low you head back behind
Ropes no longer hang from the fence in a line

It's back behind the chutes you start to feel pain
It's all well worth it whether loss or whether gain
You could work in an office or wear fancy suits
But nothing beats the other side of the chutes

© 2007, Jeremy Sigle

find music here

Need help finding music for your imovie? Check out pandora.com. You can listen to a variety of songs without downloading a bunch you won't use. Find the song you want and then only have to download one. Plus, it's just cool to play around with in general.

behind the scenes

I was working on a design the other day and was trying to decide which of these two pictures to use. When does it really work to used a behind the scenes photo? I think it has to be a situation that lends itself to a real featurey design. Ultimately, I decided to go with the portrait instead of the behind the scenes photo. Mostly for spatial reasons. But even if I had needed a horizontal photo, I don't think the behind the scenes would have been appropriate. Have you ever used a behind the scenes photo in a spread? What were the circumstances?