Insights » art

30 Resolutions for Creative Thinkers

Angela Schumacher — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:50:16 +0000

Regardless of your profession, it’s good to step back from your work periodically and examine what you could be doing better. Since it’s the beginning of a new year, there’s no better time than now. To get you thinking about your 2012 resolutions, here are 30 resolutions creatives may want to achieve in 2012.

1. Attend a paper show.

2. Be open to feedback.

3. Try new brainstorming techniques.

4. Attain greater mental breadth. Research a topic outside of design/advertising.

5. Attend a life drawing session.

6. Attend a local meetup.

7. Join your local Ad Club.

8. Learn to play an instrument.

9. Dabble with different textures.

10. Breathe new life into your typography.

11. Simplify.

12. Travel. (Or at least take a different route to work.)

13. Check out the symphony in Green Bay or Appleton.

14. Keep a collection of clippings that inspire you.

15. Make an eco-pledge.

16. Do pro bono work for a cause you care about.

17. Present your ideas in a new way.

18. Learn some new Photoshop tricks.

19. Combat your own predictability.

20. Teach/mentor a young designer.

21. Get into the fold.

22. Peruse an art gallery or museum.

23. Try to understand an opposing perspective.

24. Keep a journal.

25. Play with your food.

26. Splash around in color.

27. Stop buying greeting cards and make them yourself.

28. Use another dimension.

29. Stay optimistic.

30. Stop procrastinating. Seize the day!

What are you going to create, accomplish, experience and experiment with in 2012?

Filetype Faceoff: A Smack Down Between Raster and Vector Graphics

Angela Schumacher — Tue, 17 May 2011 01:45:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered why there are so many file types for images? TIF, JPG, GIF, AI, EPS, PDF… What’s the diff? It certainly can be confusing.

One thing that sets these file types apart from each other is that some file types are for “raster” graphics, some are for “vector” graphics and some can be BOTH raster AND vector.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

RASTER GRAPHICS are made up of a grid of “pixels” and are most commonly used for photographs. A pixel is small box of solid color. When pixels are small enough, your eye doesn’t see them as individual boxes of color. Instead, your eye blends them together and you can see an image.

On the other hand, when you enlarge a raster graphic, its pixels get larger and your eye has a harder time blending them together. When the pixels are large enough for the eye to see them individually, the image is said to be “pixelated”.

The only way for a pixelated image to appear smooth, is for you to look at it from far away. If you were to look at a photo on a billboard up close, the image would appear pixelated, but when you are driving down the highway in your car, a billboard’s photo looks great.

Raster graphics are most commonly created in software programs such as Adobe Photoshop. Photos from your digital camera are also raster graphics. Common file types for raster graphics include JPG, GIF, TIF, EPS and PDF.

VECTOR GRAPHICS are made up of lines, curves and shapes and are most commonly used for logos and illustrations. A vector image is not limited to a finite number of pixels. You could enlarge a 1-inch vector graphic to the size of a truck and it will still be crisp.
Vector graphics can be created only in certain software programs, most commonly Adobe Illustrator. From that software program, you can save vector artwork in a variety of file formats such as AI, EPS and PDF.

In the example above, I am showing you a vector logo that has been enlarged and still kept its high quality. It never becomes pixelated.

STAY TUNED for the “Raster and Vector Smack Down” which will be coming in a later blog post. We’ll get in the ring and show specific scenarios where raster graphics deliver a knockout punch every time. There will also be scenarios where vector graphics will always be champion. After seeing raster and vector fight head to head, you will have a better understanding and appreciation for their uses.

5 Love Lessons from Art and Design

Angela Schumacher — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 23:37:00 +0000

I am absolutely head over heels about art and design. It’s a love affair I’ll never grow out of. I just want to shout it from the rooftops. Here are five tips art and design have taught me that always keep me coming back for more.

1. Try a new position.

Art and design invite us to look at things from new perspectives. A great example comes from Paul Howalt in an illustration he did for Cold-Eeze. It’s one of those “things that make you go hmmmm!”

And how about this photography from Bruce Mozertom? These shots would not have been nearly as exciting had the models been above water. It really takes my breath away. I bet the models lost their breath too.

2. Get blindfolded and stimulate the senses.

Too often we rely solely on sight to communicate a message. Do you smell… sniff sniff… cookies? Or are those my raging pheromones?
Cents of ‘Scent Marketing’ video available on CBSNEWS.com.

If milk and cookies don’t turn you on, how about vegetables? The Vegetable Orchestra from Austria makes music with handmade vegetable instruments. After the concerts, parts from the instruments are thrown into a soup and served to the audience. Music to your mouth?

3. Role play.

Our Creative Director, Jay, recently wrote an article that talked about memorable Super Bowl commercials of years past. One of his faves was the “Mean Joe Green” Coke commercial from the 80s. I wonder what was Jay’s excitement when he saw this year’s Super Bowl commercial from FOX. Here are both of them:

One more example of role play comes from the truth campaign. This one really made me think. Shouldn’t big tobacco companies be held to the same standard as all other consumer goods?

4. Make new rules for each other.

There ain’t no ‘mountain fold’ high enough to keep me from getting to you babe! Here is an origami documentary from Independent Lens that proves exciting things can happen when we push our partners to break the rules. Often we box ourselves into the confines of our usual routine without even realizing it. Help strip each other of old oppressive constraints.

5. It’s not what it looks like.

Normally these famous last words signal the end of a relationship but not with art and design. Art and design are always full of surprises—fun and thought-provoking surprises. Often they present themselves as quiet as a whisper or as subtle as a wink. You need to slow down, and open your eyes wider in order to notice them.

This American Express commercial really moves me.

So slow down and look around you. Is a shovel just a shovel? Look closer.

One thing’s for sure: My heart is a rocket ship. Art and design are knights on horseback.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Art and Design. I love you madly.