Inspiring Color Images

The (Top 10 of the) Top 50 Online Design Magazines

Design You Trust, a digital imaging magazine that I’ve been subscribed to for a while, recently pointed to Cruzine’s Top 50 Design Magazines. I had no idea that there were so many design magazines out there, so I decided to take a quick peek. I ended up looking at 10 of the top 50, clicking on the website that seemed most appealing to me solely based on their homepage.

1. Creative Nerds

Design Resources and Tutorials

Creative Nerds is exactly what it sounds like. This is a site run by an open source community of designers; that means that you might qualify to write for them! Based in Britain, the magazine divides up their posts into articles, tutorials, inspirational pieces, news, and freebies. I found their latest article on Smart Creative Logo Designs Which Contain Secret Symbolisms to be quite appealing.

2. Cats Who Code

Meow!

Cats Who Code is a site built for “those who create and maintain websites : web developers, web designers, webmasters, and so on.” In other words, if you don’t know a bit of CSS, PHP, or HTML, or if these acronyms mean nothing to you, then neither will this website. From beginner  (how to code an HTML email) to expert (CSS3 typography techniques), Cats Who Code has a bit of something for everyone even vaguely interested.

3. Fuel Your Creativity

Let it catch on FIYAH

Fuel Your Creativity is a blog meant to inspire artists. Mostly designed for freelance artists, Fuel Your Creativity writes specifically for architects, artists, creative firms, fashion designers, graphic designers, illustrators, industrial designers, interior designers, and photographers. Though the website could use a little work (uh, where’s is “Home?” OH FOUND IT!) the articles are pretty straightforward and can apply to a wide audience. Check out their latest feature on Erik Johansson’s photo manipulations.

4. Web Designer Wall

A Wall of Ideas

Nick La, the owner of Web Designer Wall, barely has time to breathe. Not only does he maintain this frequented idea board, but he also runs N.Design Studio and Best Web Gallery. Primarily working as a web design website, La comments on current trends (does Flash still suck?), current people (ZURB!) and even current job opportunities for web designers. Not too bad for one guy!

5. Blog.Spoon Graphics

Spork

What drew me to this website above all the others was that it’s so freaking pretty. Maintained by creative designer Chris Spooner, Blog.Spoon Graphics takes a magnified look at Illustrator and Photoshop features. Chock full of free brushes, vector graphics, and icons, this website is ideal for just breaking into design or professionals seeking tutorials for specific Illustrator and Photoshop features.

6. Vandelay Design

Andale! Andale!

Vandelay is a graphics design firm based in central Pennsylvania, and was the original owner of Design M.ag. They specialize in church websites.

7. Knowtebook

MOOHAA

Though Sebastian Scheuer owns the bovine themed web developer e-zine, his contributors take up a mass majority of Knowtebook‘s content. As an insanely disorganized website, its articles are surprisingly simple and easy to understand, down to some simple bullet points to summarize the short articles (check out Why and How to Keep Users on a Website). If you plan on using this website to grow your own blog or grab some freebies, plan on using the search bar (if you can find it).

8. The Design Cubicle

Think Inside the Box

Brian Hoff isn’t the typical graphic designer. The website he writes, The Design Cubicle, encourages discussion in the contemporary issues of graphic design (is there a problem with free fonts?) and educates his readers while showing off his portfolio and pointing his readers to off-site simple how-tos (though they tend to be a little wacky, like how to properly apply for a design job).

9. Design Meltdown 2010

Feel the burn

Patrick McNeil is frequently mistaken as a “a designer because of his blog… his book series The Web Designer’s Idea Book or his monthly column in .net Magazine; but really he is more of a developer then anything.” Despite his self-identified developerness, Design Meltdown 2010 begs to differ. The blog acts as an encyclopedia of past articles surrounding everything design from design styles to 404 pages. The only criticism that I would have is that there is SO much information that you should really go to this blog with a purpose, or else you’ll get lost.

10. Astuteo

Not just a studio

Astuteo is a design firm based in Madison, Wisconsin, that offers a free advice blog. Again, the blog is not insanely easy to navigate, and it has unfortunately not been updated since 2009, but their articles’ advice has timeless meaning (read How to Stop Worrying and Love Your Job). Scroll through, but realize that the unupdated blog has a limited number of articles.

TIME and the Jews

The Magen David, or the Star of David, is covered in daisies. Daisies as in “I’m picking daisies and don’t have a care in the world.” Daisies with text in the center, “Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace.”

I’m going to do my best to put politics aside while examining the latest cover of Time Magazine, but for those who do not know me, here is my bias: I am Jewish, I have been to Israel, I do not call myself Pro-Israel, and I am deeply offended. I am taking the time to write this on Rosh Hashana, a Jewish high holiday, because I feel that it is so important.

Time has been known to have controversial covers, to catch the common grocery-shopper’s attention and inspire someone to read their articles. They have been called racist and insensitive, but also provocative and compelling. All of these covers have been confined to their trademarked four red lines showing ownership to the article that the reader will find inside.

The most recent issue of Time Magazine certainly lives up to its predecessors in all values. Firstly, the dark, Israel blue color with the white daisies symbolize Israel, their target topic. TIME does not stand out, nor does “Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace,” almost suggesting that they want their viewer to focus on the flowered star. The Star of David is attractive in of itself, with the flowers’ dark centers drawing the eye around Karl Vick’s title. Above TIME, the magazine highlights “Obama,” “Exclusive,” “Drugs,” and “Privacy,” and dims the type underneath to match the gray of the author’s name. The center of focus is, unquestionably, the star. In fact, with a lighter font with more color, it could pass an Israeli tourist brochure.

But my guess is that TIME doesn’t expect to attract much readership other than Jews or those particularly invested in Israel. Why? The star seems so passive in its flowers and tame blue behind it. The text is so subtle that you have to be close to the magazine to read it; the potential reader would have had to be attracted to the star in the first place to get close enough to be offended by the title.

And here’s my theory: Jews as a whole are particularly offended when anyone in the media slaps around Israel. They may not buy the article, but they’ll talk about it. They will comment on the posts and write scathing poorly-written public letters to the editor. All the more, and I understand that I’m doing it too, publicizing Time Magazine. I can’t imagine that Time isn’t aware that this would happen.

Overall, the quality of the cover isn’t astonishing. I don’t feel like I’ve learned anything new, except, perhaps, in the field of advertising. Write something controversial and offensive, and the public will eat it right up.

The Typographic Sins of Graphic Design

I can't say that this is mine. http://www.rayelder.com/teaching/typographic-sins/