According to the internet...

play – noun#17:  a space in which something, as a part of a mechanism, can move

As I post this month's definition of "play," I think about what it means to me. This one reminds me of white space. It's so important on a page. People forget about it like it doesn't exist. I had a coworker ask me why white was not a color in printing. I said, "It is. It's just already present on the paper and you have to work with it." She looked at me quite funny and just walked away, probably mumbling something about crazy designers. Here's to you white space, and all your purpose and poise.

Show & Tell 11-13-10

Packaging:


Fruit is such a simple snack. It's been around for centuries and generally doesn't come in any packages. But what about a fruit that has a bad reputation like dried prunes? Sunsweet has rebranded this fruit to appease the masses. Once reminiscent of the elderly and not-so-free-flowing folks, prunes are now the "super fruit." Here's a sample of the new package design by Sunsweet. Who knew?


Some copy off the back:


What makes Sunsweet Ones the most super of the Super Fruits?
Whole Fruit Antioxidants
Studies suggest antioxidants help prevent damage to cells caused by free radicals.
Natural Potassium
Studies link higher intake with lower blood pressure.
All Natural Fiber
Promotes healthy digestion, keeping your system in balance.
To learn more about this remarkable Super Fruit and its amazing attributes visit pop-a-prune.com


Here are some other interesting packaging designs for fruit juice...another common product that's packaged in unusual ways below.

 

Not sure about you, but I'm always looking for new tips for software. Considering Adobe upgrades their software and adds new things about every 2 years or so, it's hard to keep up. And when I find a new trick, it's a little like christmas morning...like I just opened a long-awaited gift. Learn how to rotate your spreads for easy viewing and place images into multiple frames.

Check out the InDesign tips (and other software) at:

http://www.thegraphicmac.com/category/indesign

3D Print Design

Okay, maybe it's more arts and crafts than fine art, but I love a good invitation or card. Here's a site showing all kinds of great holiday cards created by their team. I particularly like the creativity in designs with layered materials...what I like to call 3D print design. Modern, classic, whimsical – it's all here. The website even has instructions if you want to create them yourself. Maybe this will be my challenge for the holidays, and I'll add my own twist to the design I choose. What's your favorite? Here's mine:

Info Graphics

Since our upcoming project is around info graphics, I though this might be useful to some of you. There is nice variety here, but I particularly like the one about Google Buzz Twitter Reactions. It's simple, yet informative and I find myself staring at it longer and longer to take it in. The colors are great too.
http://designbeep.com/2010/11/05/20-cool-social-media-infographics-to-show-the-power-of-sharing/

Show & Tell 11-6-10

Narrative:

Check out this link below to a really short video that recaps the movie "A Christmas Story." It pulls in the most important parts of the movie quite well, although having seen the movie many, many times, I just may be filling in bits in between and not realizing it. I love the animation and that fact that every character has the same guy's face. It's humorous. The sound effects are in all the right places, and as fast as this video runs, I'd bet timing all of that was no easy task.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NctXA4IISXI&feature=more_related

Design Tip of the Month

Use guides and measurements. They are there for a reason. And now it's even easier in CS5 because they've made them smart. You don't even have to figure out the exact inch or pixel needed to align something. The software takes a guess and snaps it to the most obvious aligned element. It's so easy, and alignments and margins are what make a design clean. So pay attention to them. Even an extra 5 minutes of scrutinizing these elements will clean up the best designs.