With so many of our posts being about visual inspiration, you’d think that that’s all we get inspired from. Not so! And now we want to remedy that.
Every day there are so many design-related articles, news, developments and innovations bursting out of our RSS feeds, email inboxes and social media accounts that our team’s creative brains are definitely not lacking in substantially chunky design idea fodder. In case you didn’t know where to look, we’ll share what’s on our plate every week with you too. So sit back, relax and prepare to leisurely but thoroughly digest this meaty, design-savvy awesomeness that is the first issue of the You! Be Informed! series! (This post contains videos and other embedded content which you may not be able to view if you’re reading this post from your RSS reader or email subscription. Click through to the actual post page to see everything!) DASP United is a collective of designers against ACTA, SOPA and PIPA (and nowadays, possibly also CISPA) that express their protest through artistic expression, also in hopes of leaving a cultural heritage through it. This project was created only recently and so does not not have as much attention as it should, but if you support their ideas then help spread the word too. Check out their website for more information. Here are some of the featured artwork you can find on their homepage.  (Source)  (Source) The Behance Network is launching Behance Portfolio Reviews, in-person critique events organized by members of the community all over the world, as part of their mission to empower creative professionals. At each event, five local creatives will present work & receive feedback from an audience of peers. They will engage in career-boosting conversations, gather creative insights, and discover inspiring work. This is a great opportunity to get real-life, personalized feedback on your work for free! Events are already planned in 200 communities around the world, hosted by some of the most prominent creatives in their region – and this is even before they formally launch, which is on May 14th-21st. Check this page for more information – and this info page if you want to be an organizer!  (Rest of the Page) The City of San Francisco is holding a competition to redesign its Municipal Transportation Agency’s identity. Submit a design concept, give feedback on submitted designs, and/or share submissions with others! Check this page and the following video for more information. Art Takes Times Square is a worldwide call for entries searching for inspired works by artists, designers, photographers and all creative talents from across the globe to determine one creative visionary whose artwork – in an opportunity of a lifetime – will receive a radiant presentation on Times Square's digital billboards before millions of viewers this summer. Check this page to learn more, below is the accompanying video. (Additionally, the video is accompanied by the soundtrack that characterizes Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, namely “The Ballade of Puppets”. Good soundtrack choice!) Visual Connections, formerly Picturehouse Marketing US, which organizes events specifically geared to buyers of phtoography, illustration and footage, will have an image expo on April 26, 2012, Thursday, at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall. There will be a Q&A session with distinguished panelists in the morning to address a wide range of issues of interest to image buyers (copyright, fair use, licensing models, etc.) and and 20+ stock photo agencies, artist reps and other organizations to meet in the afternoon – see this gallery of participants. The event is restricted only to image buyers. Check the event page to learn more.  (Source) Ponoko is giving away a Silhouette CAMEO, a home printer with a blade that cuts paper, fabric, vinyl and cardstock. They’ve introduced new cardstock to their materials catalog, and all orders made with cardstock from now through April 30, 2012 are eligible to win the CAMEO. See their post to learn more.  (Source) Ryan McLeod made a CV guide aimed at creative students and graduates that has hints, tips, and insights into creating a CV that stands out, embedded below. Off Book is a web series from PBS that explores cutting edge art, the artists that make it and the people that share it online. You can check out their newest episode, “The Art of Film & TV Title Design“, in the embedded video below. FlyingFlips is a footwear start-up based in Vancouver, BC, as well as a crowd-sourced, online community that creates artist-designed FlipFlops with a commitment to giving back. For every pair of FlyingFlips sandals they sell, they give a share of profits to the artist, and give a pair of sandals to a fellow human in need. They’re launching a project on Kickstarter to enlist the help of social consumers to help bring this idea to life; pledgers will be rewared with a first-edition pair of FlyingFlips. Check out their short video below, as well as their website, to learn more. Lastly (for now), the people over at Best PSD Freebies have been designing websites for years, and finally decided to share their best PSD resources with everyone in the interests of making the web a more attractive place. They add new freebies to their collection weekly. Check out their latest post for a Free Blitz PSD Theme – you only pay with a tweet.  (Source) I hope you found this post useful, because we’re planning to do this every week! Since this is the first time we’re doing a weekly design news compilation like this, feedback, suggestions, critique, etc. are all welcomed, so feel free to leave comments on this post.  |
