Shadowness was formed into an art community in 2001 by Meng To. Shadowness quickly became a way for artists to interact with each other, improve, share their work and promote themselves. Going into its eighth version, Shadowness continues to be a home for artists to share and learn from others.

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek into what the new version of Shadowness will be all about and ask Meng some questions.

Kyle
How will Shadowness be different? Will the layout change much?

Meng
It’s only the database that’s not going to be rebooted. The concept of following will be the main focus, building a follow base and promoting your work and personal website. It’s going to use twitter connect and be a platform to share work.

Updates will be like twitter, comments like facebook but where it is unique is with how you manage and show your gallery. We will be able to collect art and those collections will become like blogs.

Kyle

How far along is this next version?

Meng To
I am designing all the pages pixel perfect. Planning all the scenarios first and features, something I’ve never done with SN. I’ll know when I finish the wireframes. I’ll be showing much more later on this weekend.

From what I’ve talked to Meng about and what I’ve seen so far, Shadowness is going to become a great place for artists to connect, not only within the community but as well with other social networks and websites.

Make sure you register for Shadowness at shadowness.com
You can follow the updates for Shadowness 8 at http://twitter.com/Shadowness8

Btw you can find me on Shadowness as LostEagle

Visit Earth Day Network / World Wildlife Fund to learn more about Earth Day.Inspiration is everywhere.

Also don’t forget to check out Earth by Disney in theaters starting today (click here for the trailer)

Here’s a little overview of the work I have been doing.

Worked on various projects from information visualizations for search results to information maps and finally designing a prototype system to improve the university campus. Filmed two shorts, one didn’t turn out as great as hoped due to time constrictions but the other turned out quite well. Wrote a couple papers primarily around modernist and postmodernist architecture and I wrote a proposal for an interactive art installation at a local tech gallery.

All in all it has been a busy but interesting last couple months and I hope everyone reading has had a good year so far.

On Another Note

I have started working on a couple posts but they might take awhile since I still have work to finish up. If there are any post suggestions or ideas that you might be interested in reading about leave me a message!

Check back soon for more updates & information.

Thanks,

Kyle Thacker

12.3MP
ISO 200-3200 (expendable 100-6400)
11 Point AF
1280×720 High Definition Video Recording @ 24 fps
2.7 inch Variable LCD monitor
Live View
Quiet shooting reduces sound of internal camera mechanisms

Body Only RRP: £719.99 / €878.00
D5000 + 18-55 VR kit: £799.99 / €972.00
Sales start date: 1st May 2009

The D5000 is a powerful and versatile SLR camera that delivers superb still images and high-definition D-movie clips with sound. Incredibly easy to use, it boasts a range of automatic features that help capture the shots you want and an impressive 12.3 megapixel DX format image sensor that ensures exceptionally detailed results. The innovative vari-angle LCD monitor makes it easy to shoot from any angle, bringing an exciting new twist to using Live View. Whether you shoot still or moving images, you can flip, tilt or turn the monitor to take shots from above, below, to the side, or to create self-portraits. An array of automatic scene modes make it simple to capture clear images in a variety of situations and a range of retouch functions let you enhance photos in-camera. With so many powerful features packed into its compact, lightweight body, the D5000 offers people on the go a fantastic way to capture stunning shots from any angle.

Source: Nikon UK

Check out Nikon Rumors for more information

Noupe

One of my favorite websites, they have given me many hours of useful posts that I always enjoy. Thanks Noupe!

2008 Most Popular Design Posts, Tutorials and Resources

50 Most Beautiful Icon Sets Created in 2008

Smashing Magazine

An everlasting battle of which of their articles to read first.

Smashing Highlights of 2008

Just Creative Design

Started reading only a short while ago, Jacob Cass has helped the design community in many ways.

2008 Round Up

CrazyLeaf Design Blog

A blog full of many useful resources.

Most Beautiful Websites of 2008

Smashing Apps

Useful website constantly updated.

Exceptional Logo Rebranding in 2008

David Airey

Best Design Blog Posts of 2008

Vector Diary

Best Illustrator Tutorials and Articles of 2008

Abduzeedo

60 Great Adbuzeedo Articles of 2008

Web Designer Wall

Best of CSS Design 2008

Toxel

Top 75 Best Design Resources of 2008

The Design Cubicle

50 Brilliant Design Posts of 2008

Brand New

Best and Worst Logo Re-Designs of 2008

I Love Typography

Best Fonts of 2008

Nettuts

Best Tutorials and Freebies of 2008

Function

I just wanted to add this article, it is probably one of my favorite this year.

50 Stunning Examples of A Great Re-Design

Thank you design bloggers for all the resources you have provided this year.

Whats happening in 2009

2009 I expect to be another great year. I will continue to update Observin, hopefully with many more useful articles. I would also like to mention a premium wordpress theme site that will be launching soon called Theme Castle which I will talk about in the upcoming weeks.

Photoshop & Illustrator Tutorials

We Wish You A Merry Christmas Card

Drawing A Christmas Tree

Create A Glittering Christmas Card

Animated Christmas Bells

Cheerful Snowman Christmas Card

Make A Christmas Ornament

Cartoon Santa Scene

Vector Snow Landscape

Create A Christmas Hat

Prepare for the New Year

Create A Winter Landscape

Make Unique Snowflakes

Create Some Tasty Candy Canes

The Perfect Christmas Tree

Vector Christmas Card

Make Your Own Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

Glowing Christmas Tree

Wonderful Snow Globes

Brushes

Assorted Christmas Brushes

Snowflake Brushes

Christmas Brushes

Assorted Christmas Items

Snowflakes

Other Christmas Tutorials
Toxel Christmas Tutorials
TutorialBlog Christmas Tutorials

Happy Holidays!

Here is a list of snowboard designs to inspire you this winter season.

And while your in the winter mood why not try and design your own snowboard. You can download a photoshop outline of a snowboard here: Snowboard Design

]]> http://observin.com/2008/12/28-snowboard-designs-for-inspiration/feed/ http://observin.com/2008/10/learning-about-type/ http://observin.com/2008/10/learning-about-type/#comments Sun, 19 Oct 2008 08:56:09 +0000 Kyle http://observin.com/?p=301 There are quite a few terms thrown around with regards to typography. Hopefully this article will help you understand more about the world of typography. If this is your first true introduction to typography you probably underestimate the effect it has on the world.

What Is Typography

Typography is the process of designing, arranging and modifying type. Arranging type involves a number of techniques:changing point size, width, leading, letter-spacing and kerning. Don’t worry if you do not know what these terms are, we will cover them shortly.

The study of typography involves understanding readability and legibility.  A lot of thought goes into choosing the correct techniques to apply to type as it has an effect on the reader. When you are driving down the highway and notice the road signs are all the same font, that’s for a reason.

What Are Typefaces?

Typefaces are a created set of characters of a single size and style. Examples of well known typefaces include: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Times New Roman, etc. If you have ever written a paper for school/work you have probably used one of these.

What Are Fonts?

Fonts are specific styles and sizes of a typeface. For example, Arial is a typeface, while a font would be Arial Black 18pts, a specific styling of that type.

What does Sans-Serif and Serif mean?

Serif is a type of typeface that includes serifs. Serifs are the little endings on the end of a letter stroke. If you look at the character below you will notice that there are details at the end, those serifs are what define a serif font. Serif typefaces are primarily used for body text especially in print material as it is considered easier to read. Furthermore, Serif is deemed as a more professional font then San-Serif fonts.

Sans-Serif are typefaces which do not have serifs. These are used more often for headlines, headings and small sections of text. Sans-serifs are considered to be easier to read on computer screens

Typography Terms

Point Size/Height

The point size of a letter is its height. One point equals 1/72 of an inch, therefore size 72 letter is one inch high.  There are twelve points in one pica, another type of measurement; type can also be measured in pixels.

Abbreviations

72 points = 72pts

72 pica = 72p

Width

Width is the set horizontal size of a letter. Some fonts are narrow, while others are wide. Wide fonts are usually called heavy.

Letter-Spacing

Letter-spacing refers to the amount of space between the characters in a word. Increasing or decreasing the letter-spacing can be used to improve legibility by making characters easier to identify.

Kerning

Kerning is often confused with letter-spacing. Kerning is the technique of aligning characters together so they are visually even. A well kerned set of characters has equal horizontal space between characters.

This is just an intro to typography, we will be writing more articles about typography in the future. In the meantime you can check out these other resources for more information.

Further Readings

Thinking With Type - Ellen Lupton

I Love Typography

MyFonts.com

Information on basic design principles, part one of a series of articles providing useful design information. This article covers hierarchy, balance, contrast and proximity.

Hierarchy

Depending on what you want your reader to view first will depend on the hierarchy you have set up. By changing the position of an item on the page, its size or color you can improve your hierarchy.

Hierarchy is a valuable to guide your readers or viewers through your design. Remember to keep in mind what you want your viewers to see first. Without hierarchy your viewers might find it hard to locate important or useful information.

Balance

There are two types of balance: symmetrical balance and asymmetrical balance. Symmetrical balance is achieved through creating equal amount of objects/elements on either side of an ‘imaginary line’ separating the  page. Asymmetrical balance is achieved by balance through different techniques.

For example pretend you are weighing your page on a scale. Different elements will weigh different weights based on their size, and content. As you can see below although there is a lot of text on one side by placing a design element  of equal weight on the other side you can balance the design.

Contrast

Contrast goes beyond differences in color, it can be applied to size, texture, type and more. By providing contrast you can add interest to your design. Increasing contrast can improve readability by making type stand out.

Proximity/Clustering

Individual design elements that are grouped together are perceived as a group. By increasing the proximity of similar objects in your page you can help your viewers locate similar information.

I would love to see how you have applied this techniques to your designs. Leave a comment and share you work with others!