Designer of the Month Winners – July 2011

Checkout the latest winners for the July Designer of the Month!

http://www.creativepublic.com/design-contest-07-2011.php

Happy Independence Day!

Remember those who have severed, still serving or have died for our country. They sacrifice themselves so we all can live in peace.

– CreativePublic.com

Sessions College — New Scholarships for Recent High School Graduates

Sessions College for Professional Design® has just announced new scholarships for recent high school graduates to promote the benefits of learning design online.  Sessions College will provide two (2) Graphic Design degree program students and two (2) Web Design degree program students with $2,000 each toward their tuition at Sessions College.

For details on the scholarships available please visit the Sessions College website.
http://www.sessions.edu/admissions/degree-admissions/scholarships

An online degree program in design at Sessions College gives students the scheduling flexibility to fit it into any schedule without sacrificing other responsibilities, such as a job. Because the degree programs were developed specifically for online delivery there is no compromise on the quality of the education delivered. Students at Sessions College learn from working, professional artists and designers who are trained in best practices for online education.

Sessions College is fully accredited and has been a pioneer in the online teaching of visual design since 1997.

Getting Your Daily Dose of Video Games?

If you are not playing video games on a regular basis or even attempting to play then you may be missing out on the ability to transform your design career/business through the powerful grammar, storytelling, condensed learning and rich visual environments of games.

So, do you play video games on a regular basis (or even know HOW to play)?

If not, you may want to consider getting on board (and fast)

I, for one, was never really big into “gaming” but that has been changing recently with my 14 year old stepson giving me lessons on the Nintendo Wii with games like “Call of Duty,” “Zelda” and “Super Smash Brothers”

Consider this:

“Half of all Americans over age 6 play computer and video games. Each year, Americans purchase more than 220 million games, nearly 2 games for every US household. And despite the common belief that gaming is a pastime that requires a Y chromosome, today more than 40% of game players are women.”

and this:

“Play will be to the 21st century what work was to the last 300 years of industrial society – our dominant way of knowing, doing and creating value” Pat Kane, author of The Play Ethic.

Research has shown playing video games not only can sharpen our conceptual abilities but also enhance our creative ability for pattern recognition, for empathy, for strategic thinking and creating visual mappings among others.

And the future of gaming is just getting started. It has all sorts of rich possibilities in every industry imaginable – like medical, military, sports, marketing, etc. – where (just for starters) real life situations have the ability to be simulated.

Especially if you are just starting out in design, it would be a good idea to investigate the many art/design schools that offer degree programs in game art and design.

Here are a few sites to wet your gaming appetite:

Game Spot – http://www.gamespot.com

Game Talk – http://www.gametalk.com

Yahoo! Games – http://games.yahoo.com

Women Gamers – http://www.womengamers.com

PopCap Games – http://www.popcap.com

Wireless Gaming – http://www.wgamer.com

…now if I can only get this darn wii controller right 🙂

– by Doug Farrick

CreativePublic is Now on Facebook

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Cover Letter Sample

When I was looking for work as a designer I used a long, drawn-out cover letter that got little results. But when I shortened it (after MUCH experimenting) and just gave them some short “teaser” (meaning I left more out then I put in) copy it worked like gangbusters.

————————————————————————-
Here is an example of what to say, short and simple:
————————————————————————-

I enclose my resume in response to your recent advertisement for Part-Time Adjunct Faculty positions at GCC. My experience is most relevant to electronic/digital imaging and Web design.

As my resume shows, I offer over 12 years of experience in marketing and design for large companies like Xerox and ABB to smaller, more dynamic organizations like Meansbusiness and Freshdesign, Inc. I have worked in all phases of design and communications (including partnership alliances) from initial concept to final product in channels as diverse as print, radio, web and multimedia.

You can reach me at my office during business hours or at home during evenings and weekends. Thank you for your consideration.

H – 555-555-5555

W- 555-555-5555

Sincerely,

Douglas Farrick

———

Adobe to Lay Off Nearly 700 Workers

Adobe Systems will lay off 680 staff, or 9 percent of its workforce, in its latest move to cut costs, the company confirmed Tuesday.

The job cuts will be made worldwide and are designed to bring Adobe’s costs in line with its 2010 budget and “the realities of the business environment,” the company said.

Read More….

Wolda ’09 is Accepting Submissions for Logos

The 2009 edition of Wolda, the Worldwide Logo Design Annual, is now open for entries.

Wolda is the high-profile award scheme that rewards the best logos and trademarks designed throughout the world, and the only award scheme in the world endorsed by over 100 international design associations and schools.

Visit www.wolda.org for the full list of endorsers, entry fees, rules and prizes.

Everything You Know About Web Design Is Wrong – SXSWi 2009

This video brings up great points about Web design.

Start Earning Money Today From Your PDF Content

I am sure you all know about AdSense from Google and how you can make money by putting a piece of code in your web pages and Google pumps ads that are contextually related to your content, right?

But did you know you can also do the same with PDF files?

That’s right, you can now start to monetize any type of PDF content, including articles, newsletters, technical or journals articles, reprints, whitepapers, sellsheets and more.

How this works is that Adobe has formed a relationship with Yahoo so it is Yahoo ads that are pumped into your PDF files. When readers then click on the ads (like AdSense) you get paid.

The steps to get started are easy.

1. Register for an account here: http://tinyurl.com/6ehrxs

2. Then upload your PDF (or your clients) content to register it for ad placement

3. The PDF content is automatically analyzed to receive relevant ads that match your PDF content

4. Sit back, sip your iced tea and wait for he checks to roll in 🙂

Additionally you also have the ability to block competitive ads from appearing in your PDF.

I think there is a real opportunity for smart creative owners to take advantage of this opportunity. Once you set it up it’s a breeze to replicate the next batch of PDF’s.