Amazing Bottle Art!
August 12, 2008 by Jasmine
Filed under Graphic Design, Website Discoveries
These are examples of putting some ‘zing!’ into something very commonly seen.
These bottles of label art are slicker and more computer-graphicksy. It gives a rough urban edge to the products for more ‘oomph’ and personality.
For more examples of this art, you could check out the ff:
Popularity: 4% [?]
Meta vs Body?
August 10, 2008 by Jasmine
Filed under SEO and Web Traffic
I found a short post about this issue in a forum discussing which is more important in search engine optimization, meta tags or the body area.
This is my position in the issue.
A lot of SEO afficionados take a lot of time researching and strategizing for meta tags. Doing this properly brings a better focus for the webmaster on the what content to work on in his site. If the webmaster of a “weight loss” service is required by an SEO expert to work on keywords such as “weight loss story”, “weight loss testimonials”, or “weight loss evidence”, the webmaster will have to come up with content that could integrate those keywords in the site. In the navigation, in the content, in the callouts, etc. The keywords must be found everywhere in order to generate the traffic needed to get into the first page results of the search engines.
Bottom line is, it’s in the BODY wherein most of the work gets done. I deem the META TAGS to serve as a focal point for the webmaster of the site. Yes, getting started with initial meta tags to work on is a trying part for the SEO worker. It’s not that easy to strategize against millions of sites and keywords taken up by competitors though getting INTO FOCUS is the key to get into a niche, which could turn into traffic and hopefully, into profit.
I once taken this project of getting a good domain name for a Client. (I can’t tell you what Client I had since it is confidential company matters).
Using WEB CEO and checking out search results in Google, Yahoo and MSN, I checked out from each search engine the top 5 results for the 10+ initial meta keywords used by the Client in his site. That is checking out a total of 50+ sites in one sitting, studying what they did in their websites to garner first page results in search engines (especially google), trying to understand the way the site is constructed, observing how the alts, the titles, how the keywords were propagated in the content, etc. With the necessary data I got and recommendations (domain name plus suggested content strategies) I gave, the Client approved 1 out of 3 domain names I suggested and as my boss said, is very happy about it. 
Basically, both are important parts of web development. Just remember these things:
META TAGS = Focal points
BODY = actual inputs
Removing one will lead to a worse time of getting things done for well SEO driven site. Remember, it is important to get into real focus trying to find the real keywords and a lot of hard work to get the right content. Doing everything right will get the work done great. 
Popularity: 3% [?]
Creative Sparks
May 19, 2008 by Jasmine
Filed under Graphic Design
I’m hyped over it! Creative Sparks by Jim Krause is one of the books every creative mind (or any mind bent on harnessing their creative power) should invest on. It has page after page of strong visual concepts and creative exercises to help minds ignite their imaginative power. There are several reliable chapters to base real-life, on the job, tried and tested concepts to work upon everyday. It is a reliable source of information for creativity and quality source for inspiration especially for designers, who at one time or another get into slumps. My co-designers at work love my copy too. Since the purchase of the book, it seemed we have this unspoken agreement that each one of us would purchase a different design-related book by Jim Krause and will lend the book to the other designers after reading it. One already purchased the Color Index 2 and the other ordered Design Essentials, both books of the same author.
Jim Krause, you are a genius!
Popularity: 3% [?]
A Designer’s Personal Shrine
April 23, 2008 by Jasmine
Filed under Graphic Design
For commercial artists, being bugged down by Client requirements can put creativity in a shutdown. Requirements put a limit to vision and deadlines making matters worse. Flexibility to try out new things for a project can be hindered and following working trends for a specific industry can make a designer forget something very important: his or her own personal creativity.
A designer needs something personal to remind him or her creative meaning. In meaning, a shrine is a place or a furniure used to place meaningful intangibles through display of sentimental materials. For designers, it could be a place to store materials to help him or her in creative endeavors. It would really be great so spend some time everyday adding something to the shrine. It could contain books, art materials, candles, even incense. It could be very simple and it should evolve over time but it will always remain relevant to the designer. As a designer or artist, these shrine could help develop personal relevant creativity that is not often accessible as a commercial artist.
A shrine doesn’t have to be big and take up so much space. It could be something small like an ashtray or box that houses favorite knick knacks like marbles, pins, crayons or whatever the designer likes. It could also be a portable plant or keychain that has some memento inside.
I remembered a fad during my high school when everybody carried bulky organizers everywhere. They weren’t bulky from school documents or inserted allowance bills. They were full of pictures, love letters, stickers, drawings, slam-book like pages filled with notes, anecdotes and information of friends, colorful calling cards, stationaries, etc. Everybody liked looking at those organizers. Each organizer is relevant and tells a lot of its owners. Same thing was also done to wallets.
If you are a tech geek like me, a digital gadget can be really handly. My PALM PDA serves as my mobile shrine. Everything in my PALM is relevant to me creatively. I have my Notepad to doodle, my ebooks (learning textbooks and pocketbooks) to read in my free time, my japanese dictionary and workbook to practice on once in a while, some pictures to make me remember people close to my heart, games, some music, etc.
So a shrine can practically be anything that is relevant to a designer. Make your own shrine. Take care of it so you will never cease inspiration to create things you love. ^^
Below are some ideas that could serve as shrines. You can pick one or add some suggestions to the list.
1) Wallets and Organizers. These come in various shapes and sizes. Be creative in what you place in them!
2) Mugs and Boxes. The designs are in variety and could house your favorite stuff.
3) Keychains. You’ll be surprised on the variety of keychains available out there. Check out these displays. You can check out this page for more options.
4) Mobile Gadgets. If you have money to burn, try to find the portable gadget to fit your lifestyle. As long as it can house your tools and you can carry and use it anywhere (unlike a laptop, they can be a hassle to bring out compared to a PDA device).
5) Have a blog. Make a blog your own personal sanctuary. It will house everything about you. Your way of thinking, pictures, ideas, imagination, videos, etc. It’s everything about you and its yours so you can add anything into it.
Do you have other ideas that could serve as a personal shrine? Comment it here! ^_^
Popularity: 4% [?]
