typegoodness is a great site to check out for all you type lovers. Some links to some really nice + free downloads.
Originally inspired as a photography website for my very talented sister in law (Jo Distaso), I designed the Atlantica pair of Wordpress themes (Classic and the Dark Version) way back in the Spring of last year. I don’t usually weigh in on my own projects, but I’ve gotta say that I still really enjoy the subtle typography and gridded image approach to a website theme that gives it an almost timeless feel. Where so many of my projects begin to feel dated in my own mind after a year, I think I’m going to enjoy this one for a while.
*obligatory chuckle*
What never ceases to amaze me about Apple critics isn’t just that they are always clever, it’s that from a visual perspective, they are always pretty damned well designed. Sure, it helps to have so much source material to work with (as does the fact that lots of your fans/critics are designers themselves) - but even from a basic Photoshop perspective, this is solid B+ work. What frightens me is that the jokes played on Apple are often designed better than the ads for their competitors.
If you haven’t seen Storyville before, and you love coffee, you’ve gotta check this out. Surprisingly, their site (which I first came across in the early 2000’s and totally blew my mind back then), is still relevant even though it’s perhaps beginning to show a little bit of age. And while I never really liked Flash as an eCommerce platform, their ordering process has been designed and implemented extremely well.
The branding materials are designed flawlessly and the whimsicle packaging (complete with toy airplane boy stickers, exceptional type design, and tissue paper wrapped vacuum bags) will transport you back to your favorite birthday as a kid…
Oh, and their coffee rocks.
Ran across this today searching for “Real Life Mockup” materials (ie: billboards, coffee cups, etc.) and this totally made my afternoon. My only gripe: I actually wish it was 1920x1080 so it could be my new wallpaper!
ThemeForest’s Free File of the Month: February 2010
This month’s free file is Pacifica Theme by epicera.
This theme is a complete photoshop template, designed from the ground up to function first and foremost as a portfolio, then as a comprehensive website that can be used for just about any site that needs a beautiful layout. This is JUST the PSD version, so please check out the WORDPRESS and HTML versions if you need the full code.
Each user is entitled to one free regular license.
Read more and download from:
Pacifica Theme - The PSD Version - PSD Templates - ThemeForest
Simplicity and complexity need each other. The more complexity there is in the market, the more that something simpler stands out. And because technology will only continue to grow in complexity, there is a clear economic benefit to adopting a strategy of simplicity that will help set your product apart.
I LOVE this wallpaper by James White (SignalNoise.com) for the incredible Abuzeedo. The color work is vibrant, yet somehow not overwhelming. It’s a little intense for my own personal tastes as a Wallpaper graphic (I actually use my desktop space way too often), but the style, layout, and execution is impeccable.
Such a simple concept, yet it’s executed with style and precision. This is why Scott Hansen has been one of my favorite illustrators for the past 5 years or so. Check out his work if you haven’t already. In my opinion it’s required reading for any aspiring designer or illustrator!
Leviathan, by Hoefler & Frere-Jones is easily one of my favorite typefaces at the moment… although everything from them oozes style and sophistication. Check out their work at Typography.com if you haven’t already :)
Tumblr: First impressions
I’m going to break down and say that I like SuperTwitter Tumblr… a lot. I was seriously on the fence for the past couple of months while I tried to wrap my brain around yet another social media platform. As always, there’s always a period of time where I debate whether this is going to take off, or whether it’ll fade into obscure irrelevance. As always, mass adoptions and key features are what have convinced me that this is really worth spending my time on.
I found this redesign of the DivX site while hunting for a good program to convert a DivX video to .AVI format… still haven’t found a solution, but I thoroughly enjoy the style on this site. What could have been a perfectly boring technology site is simply oozing “No Pattern” style. No clue who did this, but I love it :)
