CopyPaste Character

CopyPaste Character - a handy reference for web design.

Posted on November 10, 2008 9:42 PM | link to this entry

NYC Signs

14 to 42: New York City Signs. I'm a sucker for old signage. This is a magnificent historical timesuck. (via)

Posted on October 24, 2008 2:49 PM | link to this entry

Better CSS font stacks

Better CSS Font Stacks - An excellent overview of font groupings for CSS.

Posted on August 26, 2008 9:56 AM | link to this entry

Ampersand blog

Here's a website dedicated solely to The Ampersand . It's made the rounds over the last few days, but I like the idea and the execution, so I'm adding it here. (via)

Posted on August 7, 2008 10:06 AM | link to this entry

The Branding of Polaroid

This has been around since 2004, but I'll post it here. The Branding of Polaroid is a neat, if choppily written website by the man who was charged with rebranding a stale product line in the face of the Kodak juggernaut. It's fascinating on many levels, and clear parallels can be drawn to modern-day Apple/Microsoft packaging.

Posted on May 23, 2008 10:01 AM | link to this entry

Nixie tube clocks

Nixie tube clocks. Me want, bad.

Posted on May 7, 2008 1:23 AM | link to this entry

Understanding PDF formats

Create better PDFs by understanding the formats, a primer on the various types of PDF format used for printing. Yeesh, what a mess.

Posted on April 25, 2008 11:35 AM | link to this entry

McCain + Optima = bland

McCain + Optima = bland. This article is one of the reasons I still love the NYT.

Posted on April 22, 2008 1:48 PM | link to this entry

Atomic Wallpaper

Bitchin' atomic-age wallpaper. At $71/roll, it's not cheap, though. (via)

Posted on April 8, 2008 12:19 PM | link to this entry

My Rare Guitars

The guy who runs MyRareGuitars.com has the most incredible collection I've ever seen. The website hurts my eyes but the pictures are heaven.

Posted on March 27, 2008 2:26 PM | link to this entry

Andre The Giant Has A Problem.

Here's an excellent (if not opinionated) article on the work of Shepard Fairey, the ma responsible for Andre The Giant Has A Posse. I was aware he appropriated artwork for some of his pieces, but I had no idea how far he went.

Posted on March 18, 2008 11:24 PM | link to this entry

Tips for Getting Bloggers To Write About You

This is skewed towards the information-is-free mindset but the basic information is excellent: Tips for Getting Bloggers To Write About You, written by one of the five editors of BoingBoing.

Posted on March 12, 2008 10:36 AM | link to this entry

Improper Kerning

Typography nerds, this one's for you: Keming, "the result of improper kerning." Chortle.

Posted on February 27, 2008 10:41 AM | link to this entry

Lego History

Found on BoingBoing: an interview with one of the original designers of the Lego Space series. While it's awesome to read about his experience, the sets he designed were a generation or two after the ones I had (the original Space sets from 1978-79). It's impossible to understate what an effect these toys had on my personal development as a creative individual and as a DIY builder. I was a lucky kid–my parents really loved me. One of the original sets I got for Christmas in '78 retailed for the current equivalent of $100. (source) I still have a box with all the original build plans from these sets tucked away for safekeeping.

Posted on February 14, 2008 9:29 AM | link to this entry

CSS-fu.

I've been stymied for the last few days by a particular bug in Internet Explorer that wasn't letting me make pretty images like I wanted to. Thanks to this article, I found a workaround that solved my problem, made me slap my own forehead, and reaffirmed my faith in my coding abilities.

Posted on November 1, 2007 5:27 PM | link to this entry

Bulletproof E-Mail delivery

From the always excellent Smashing Magazine, an article on Bulletproof E-Mail delivery. I find myself doing this a little more each year, so it's good information to keep tucked away.

Posted on October 18, 2007 1:23 PM | link to this entry

Robinson Crusoe on Mars

This is a fascinating look at the design process from a guy who does covers for the Criterion Collection. He explains how they comissioned and designed a cover for Robinson Crusoe on Mars, using an illustrator I've long admired, Bill Sienkiewicz. (via)

Posted on October 18, 2007 8:48 AM | link to this entry

Copyright Questions

Here's an interesting question that popped up on Ask Metafilter a couple of days ago: Who owns the rights if you're a freelance designer/artist, and what is common? The responses to the question that were posted before me were excellent, so I decided to offer my own experience in a similar situation.

Posted on October 16, 2007 12:25 PM | link to this entry

Leatherman Skeletool

Right on the heels of my gadget diatribe yesterday comes this: the Leatherman Skeletool, a $75 work of art that weighs in at 5 oz., perfect for carrying in a bag or pocket. I can testify to how important weight is, because I've got an original Leatherman and it weighs about 50 lbs., although I'd never give it up.

Posted on September 7, 2007 9:10 AM | link to this entry

Unnecessary Quotation Marks

The "blog" of "unnecessary quotation marks". I find this subject "annoying" and "irritating", so I'm happy that someone decided to "enlighten the rest of us". (via)

Posted on September 6, 2007 9:52 AM | link to this entry

Orbitron

I saw this news item show up on another message board a few days ago, but it seems like everyone suddenly found it yesterday: The Orbitron, a long-lost Ed Roth custom one-off, was located recently, abandoned outside an adult bookstore in Mexico, after a stint at a carnival. Lord knows how it made its way down there, or where the hood and bubble have gone, but the new owner claims he's going to restore it.

Posted on August 30, 2007 9:46 AM | link to this entry

Boing Boing redesign

Wow-Imagine my surprise when my favorite geek/wierd stuff/political/epherma blog Boing Boing looked strangely different this morning. It's a nice change from the decidedly lo-fi preceding version, and it reads a lot better now, but I don't like the idea of splitting the gadgets off into their own section–one of the things I liked most about the original was the anything-goes smorgasboard of stuff each day. Progress, I suppose...

Posted on August 28, 2007 12:02 PM | link to this entry

Designing Interfaces

This is an O'Reilly book about Designing Interfaces, with a pretty detailed companion website. I'm going to have to go to a store and lay hands on the actual book, because most of the online information is nothing new.

Posted on August 27, 2007 9:31 AM | link to this entry

Glyph reference for OS X

All the glyphs on OS X in three handy PDF sheets. Beats hunting and pecking for the € symbol. (via)

Posted on August 23, 2007 12:44 AM | link to this entry

Abandoned Places

!!! Holy CRAP, I want to buy this place and live in it! (via)

update: I had no idea these were in Waldorf! Apparently, though, the gubmint wants someone to come and tear them down.

Posted on July 26, 2007 5:35 PM | link to this entry

70 CSS expert ideas

70 Expert ideas for better CSS coding. There are some good nuggets in here—this is an area where there is no real 'best practices' document out there. It's about as freeform as one can get, and something many clients don't understand when they see a proposal.

Posted on May 22, 2007 2:18 PM | link to this entry

Better CSS form styling

Here's an article on Css form styling, which contains a lot of info I didn't know (or have forgotten.) (via)

Posted on May 17, 2007 1:38 PM | link to this entry

Javascript courses online

For future reference: Yahoo offers courses on Javascript from their leading JS programmer. I haven't seen these yet, but the reviews look good.

Posted on May 11, 2007 12:36 AM | link to this entry

InDesign CS3 Gotcha

Gotcha! (Gotcher $1,000 too, suckers!)

Posted on April 30, 2007 3:25 PM | link to this entry

Article on icon design

Oh, jeebus, does this article on icon design ring true. I've spent more time than I care to explaining the reasons it takes more work than just creating one icon and sizing it down: usually this is when I've got the smallest size of the icon on the screen and I'm cleaning it up pixel by pixel.

Posted on February 23, 2007 11:45 AM | link to this entry

The Disease of Design.

The Disease of Design. I am ashamed to admit I suffer from this affliction. (The link made me snort my coffee through my nose.)

Posted on February 19, 2007 8:16 AM | link to this entry

Vintage Travel Labels

Here's a Flickr set of vintage travel labels-I'd guess prewar. Beautiful stuff. There are tons of them here, too. (via)

Posted on January 8, 2007 11:03 PM | link to this entry

History of the Canon BX Print Engine

History of the Canon BX Print Engine, for all those folks out there still rocking a Xante B/W Accel-A-Writer. Related: a do-it-yourself Apple LaserWriter 630 exit jam repair kit.

Posted on December 28, 2006 12:23 PM | link to this entry

Vintage Hot Rods

Here's a link to a series of vintage (post WW2) pictures from speed trials at the Bonneville Salt Flats. There is something absolutely classic, timeless, and beautiful about the design of cars towards the end of the entry.

Posted on December 20, 2006 9:21 PM | link to this entry

Firefox 2.0 Tweaks

Here's a list of Firefox 2.0 tweaks. I have yet to update, personally, but it's going to be soon.

Posted on October 26, 2006 9:55 AM | link to this entry

Powers Daily

Powers, a very good comic book, is available online. One page is posted daily. Check it out...

Posted on October 23, 2006 2:23 PM | link to this entry

Mobile Device CSS Checklist

Here's a handy intro to CSS for mobile devices. I'm thinking more and more about how my sites look in alternate browsers, and this is one place I need to focus on.

Posted on October 19, 2006 4:35 PM | link to this entry

Large-Format Poster Prints.

I think it would be alternately frightening and cool to have a 4' square poster of this kid eating spaghetti. Or this kid eating beans. International! I could send this one to my vegan friends.

Posted on October 12, 2006 10:53 PM | link to this entry

Bellytank Racer

I don't think anything could be cooler than a scratch-built bellytank racer at El Mirage. Even the trailer is cool. *sigh*

Posted on October 11, 2006 11:51 PM | link to this entry

Three Links For One

This is a three-fer: First, I looked at dethroner today, after reading this interview—I like the idea of small, sustainable web properties that create a comfortable living. And, I like the site. Thirdly, I found a credit on dethroner for K2, a front-end framework for Wordpress that adds flexibility and functionality, which is good, because I'm still pissed at Movable Type.

Posted on October 10, 2006 2:26 PM | link to this entry

Brand logos in EPS format

Brand logos in downloadable EPS format. This might save a little time down the road (it just saved me an hour or so.)

Posted on September 25, 2006 1:42 PM | link to this entry

Vintage Campers

I wish some of the money I'm owed would come in so I could buy this trailer. Or one like it.

Posted on September 21, 2006 2:15 PM | link to this entry

Paul Frank vs. Paul Frank Industries.

A Vanity Fair article about Paul Frank, who is fighting his former company for a fair share of the work that bears his name. A former partner: "...he got paid exactly the same as we did, and we're the ones who did all the work. He didn't do anything, and he still quit. What am I missing here?" This illustrates exactly how corporate America values and shits on creative talent.

Posted on September 7, 2006 7:29 PM | link to this entry

Fallingwater Machinima

This is a walkthrough of Fallingwater in the Half-Life 2 engine. Who says video games rot your brain?

Posted on September 1, 2006 10:56 AM | link to this entry

5 Steps To Being Photogenic.

5 Steps To Being Photogenic. Some good advice here. As a guy who typically looks like a frightened tree weasel in 90% of the pictures he takes, this will help me become the underwear model I've always dreamed of being. (via)

Posted on August 22, 2006 10:40 AM | link to this entry

Personal Batphone.

This is a cellular batphone—drop your SIM card in the slot and make cellular calls to Comissioner Gordon on an old-skool rotary.

Posted on August 13, 2006 10:03 AM | link to this entry

Helpful Firefox Plugin.

Web Developer is a very slick Firefox plugin which helps visualize a ton of information in real-time. Recommended.

Posted on August 4, 2006 11:49 AM | link to this entry

The Amazing Screw-On Head

Oh, HELL yes. The Amazing Screw-On Head, brought to you by Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy. It looks as it should—like his actual comics do, and the humor and feel of the comics translate perfectly. Check it out.

Posted on August 3, 2006 12:10 PM | link to this entry

Awesome Lego Advertising

These ads distill what Legos are all about. Brilliant advertising, and not at all about movie tie-ins, which seems to be the current Lego strategy.

Posted on August 2, 2006 11:39 PM | link to this entry

The Design Curve.

I got a link to How to Ruin a Web Design from a client late this afternoon, and it made me guffaw, especially since they name-checked a similar article that our friend Shelly sent us this morning.

Posted on July 21, 2006 6:23 PM | link to this entry

Polaroid Transfer Tutorial.

How to do Polaroid transfers, for anyone who's still got one in the closet (and $10 for a pack of film.) (via)

Posted on July 19, 2006 9:20 PM | link to this entry

Optimizing CSS For HTML Email

Here's a short primer on how to optimize CSS for HTML email. Lots of good tips.

Posted on July 17, 2006 2:00 PM | link to this entry

Fun With Forms (and CSS).

Fun with forms (and CSS). Some nice hints and tips, for what is one of the more annoying parts of web design.

Posted on July 13, 2006 8:46 AM | link to this entry

The Sory Behind The RAZR.

The story behind the RAZR. The one thing they never mention in these articles is that the successful team has the buy-in of one top executive, who has enough juice (and cojones) to shelter them enough to get their job done.

Posted on July 12, 2006 1:04 PM | link to this entry

Blog Post Frequency Doesn't Matter

According to Technorati, only 55% of bloggers post after 3 months of existence. Huh. I've been doing this since 2001, give or take a month or two. I do agree with the point about quality vs. quantity, but I also have to admit this blog's purpose is as much to unclutter my brain as it is for anybody else to read. (ups to Mike)

Posted on June 16, 2006 2:32 PM | link to this entry

Search Template Fixed.

Huh. I just noticed the search template here on Idiotking was completely hosed. It's fixed now. Sheesh, you'd think I did this for a living or something.

Posted on June 16, 2006 1:54 PM | link to this entry

RE: Spec work.

This whole thing is cribbed from Kottke, but it's too good not to pass along. To wit: "The result is that $2.25 million worth of work goes uncompensated because of one company’s disrespectful solicitation." Also read this Michael Beirut article. My opinion: Spec work is bullshit. And my few experiences with it has always left me holding the bag.

Posted on June 5, 2006 2:15 PM | link to this entry

Learn To Write.

Learn To Write.
Message to designers: writing well will improve your design. Right on. (via)

Posted on May 12, 2006 12:56 AM | link to this entry

Layout Gala.

Layout Gala.
Why reinvent the wheel? Look here for 40 CSS layout templates that appear to be cross-browser compatible and pretty flexible.

Posted on May 4, 2006 10:23 AM | link to this entry

BrowserCam.

BroswerCam.
I'm going to be subscribing to this next month, I believe. Does anybody else have experience with it?

Posted on April 23, 2006 11:23 AM | link to this entry

Simple AJAX.

Simple AJAX.
This is a nice little tutorial on using AJAX to handle a pair of linked dropdown lists without reloading a page. also...

Posted on April 12, 2006 10:27 AM | link to this entry

Quark Redesigns Logo. Again.

Quark Redesigns Logo. Again.
HA HA HA.

Posted on March 28, 2006 12:47 PM | link to this entry

I Hate Prepress.

I Hate Prepress.
I don't have any idea how to do it, but this probably helps.

Posted on March 23, 2006 6:37 PM | link to this entry

The Elements of Typographic Style Applied To The Web.

The Elements of Typographic Style Applied To The Web.
Wow, this is pretty and helpful. I'll be returning here.

Posted on March 9, 2006 9:41 AM | link to this entry

Typography of Web 2.0 Companies

Typography of Web 2.0 Companies
Some good sleuthin' on typefaces. Lots of rounded corners, lots of Arial (wtf?) (via)

Posted on March 9, 2006 9:37 AM | link to this entry

Tips on How To Enter Photography Competitions.

Tips on How To Enter Photography Competitions.
From Slower.net, one of my favorite photo blogs.

Posted on March 7, 2006 2:16 PM | link to this entry

Apple's Ruby On Rails Tutorial.

Apple's Ruby On Rails Tutorial.
Hmmm.

Posted on February 28, 2006 8:35 AM | link to this entry

Online Billing System.

Online Billing System.
Hmm. I have one other timekeeping/billing system to check out first (one that actually sits on this machine) but apparently the billing app is still stuck in OS 9.

Posted on February 24, 2006 4:02 PM | link to this entry

Yahoo UI Library.

Yahoo UI Library.
On the surface, this looks like some helpful stuff.

Posted on February 22, 2006 4:47 PM | link to this entry

Kottke Goes Back To Dayjob.

Kottke Goes Back To Dayjob.
Predictably, the trolls weigh in. Seriously, what a bunch of whining, jealous bitches. 39K/yr for writing about the internet (and, admittedly, posting a ton of New Yorker links) is not bad.

Posted on February 22, 2006 3:44 PM | link to this entry

Microsoft to Retire FrontPage.

Microsoft to Retire FrontPage.
The bane of many a web design professional ("I built this in FrontPage. Can you fix it?") to be phased out in Office 12.

Posted on February 20, 2006 10:33 AM | link to this entry

Making a Better CMS

Making a Better CMS
I couldn't agree more. This was written in 2004. nothing has changed.

Posted on February 16, 2006 5:30 PM | link to this entry

Be A Design Group.

Be A Design Group.
Community design blog (that is, a blog about design by a community of designers.) Good reading. This one goes in the favorites.

Posted on February 15, 2006 10:57 AM | link to this entry

Identifont

Identifont
I've written about this before, but I couldn't find it in my own archives. It may take a while, and it's weighted towards upper-case letters (difficult when you have a lower-case-weighted example) but it does an excellent job.

Posted on January 26, 2006 12:35 PM | link to this entry

Django Project

Django Project
I've not used Python before, but this looks like it's interesting.

Posted on January 23, 2006 8:54 PM | link to this entry

CSS Wiki

CSS Wiki
Good information here.

Posted on January 22, 2006 1:34 PM | link to this entry

Minolta Quits Camera Business.

Minolta Quits Camera Business.
WOW. I have a Minolta X-700 (35MM SLR) from fifteen years ago, and it's a bombproof, reliable camera. On the heels of Nikon getting out of the film-camera business, this is big news.

Posted on January 19, 2006 10:13 AM | link to this entry

In Praise Of Slow Design.

In Praise Of Slow Design.
Beautifully written article on the good judgement not to redesign something for redesign's sake. In light of several recent, surprising redesigns, a timely and challenging notion.

Posted on January 17, 2006 10:23 AM | link to this entry

CMS Roundup.

CMS Roundup.
From macintouch. I also found this handy comparison site.

Posted on December 28, 2005 10:37 AM | link to this entry

QuickrFlickr

QuickrFlickr
Hey, that's pretty sweet. (via)

Posted on December 22, 2005 11:16 AM | link to this entry

Letterpress Resources.

Letterpress Resources.
There is nothing more wonderful than letterpress printing, besides fresh chocolate chip cookies. I don't know why it took me so long to find this. (via)

Posted on December 8, 2005 11:05 AM | link to this entry

Ajax In Action.

Ajax In Action.
Slashdot seemed to like this book. I'd like to see what the whole thing is about.

Posted on November 23, 2005 10:21 PM | link to this entry

Nokia 770.

Nokia 770 internet Tablet.
I wonder how the Web looks on one of these? It's priced at $359.

Posted on November 15, 2005 10:23 AM | link to this entry

Google Analytics.

Google Analytics.
Interesting. I'm going to give it a try.

Posted on November 14, 2005 11:11 AM | link to this entry

US Patent & Trademark Office

US Patent & Trademark Office
Great information on trademarks, including links to an online trademark search.

Posted on November 1, 2005 10:10 AM | link to this entry

BD4D

BD4D
I just found this, and I don't know what took me so long.

Posted on October 27, 2005 10:37 AM | link to this entry

Set Phasers On Stun.

Set Phasers On Stun.
And Other True Tales of Design, Technology, and Human Error. (via)

Posted on October 26, 2005 11:10 AM | link to this entry

Web Pages That Suck.

Web Pages That Suck.
Good Daily Reading.

Posted on October 26, 2005 9:29 AM | link to this entry

sIFR

sIFR
Shoulda linked to this a long tme ago, but haven't.

Posted on October 24, 2005 2:54 PM | link to this entry

Ungreek

Ungreek
For when Lorem Ipsum just won't do.

Posted on October 3, 2005 10:59 AM | link to this entry

Excellent Roundup Of CSS Tricks.

Excellent Roundup Of CSS Tricks.
Because there are so damned many to remember.

Posted on September 23, 2005 1:32 PM | link to this entry

Typetester

Typetester
Compare text on-screen in a browser, based on your currently installed fonts. Nice.

Posted on September 21, 2005 1:07 PM | link to this entry

Logo Ripoffs.

Logo Ripoffs.
That's just sad and wrong. (via)

Posted on September 9, 2005 12:28 PM | link to this entry

Design in Flight Is Back.

Design in Flight Is Back.

Posted on August 22, 2005 5:01 PM | link to this entry

GUIdebook.

GUIdebook.
User-interface gallery from across the spectrum of computing.

Posted on August 19, 2005 1:19 PM | link to this entry

Top 10 Resources for CSS

Top 10 Resources for CSS
Good info. I use about five of these regularly.

Posted on August 15, 2005 11:27 PM | link to this entry

Pretty CSS Form Elements

Pretty CSS Form Elements
A nice formatting solution for the checkbox and radio button.

Posted on July 13, 2005 2:21 PM | link to this entry

Contrast Calculator

Contrast Calculator
Pretty cool—for the web.

Posted on July 12, 2005 2:44 PM | link to this entry

Collected Metro Logos

Collected Metro Logos
And there are lots of them.

Posted on July 11, 2005 4:19 PM | link to this entry

Salary Survey

Salary Survey
Find out what your peeps make.

Posted on June 9, 2005 12:45 PM | link to this entry

Logo Trends 2005

Logo Trends 2005
Some decent readin'.

Posted on June 9, 2005 11:50 AM | link to this entry

Crunch Mode Doesn't Work.

Crunch Mode Doesn't Work.
Yep.

Posted on June 8, 2005 12:36 PM | link to this entry

Phallic Logo Awards

Phallic Logo Awards
Oh, man, somebody got paid for some of these.

Posted on May 26, 2005 11:53 AM | link to this entry

Wink

Wink
A Flash-based tutorial authoring system. Interesting...

Posted on May 4, 2005 11:37 AM | link to this entry

2004 Best Design Books

2004 Best Design books
According to Design Bookself. Some good selections in here.

Posted on April 22, 2005 2:17 PM | link to this entry

Nikon D50 Digital SLR

Nikon D50 Digital SLR
6.1 MP with a lens for $900? We are so buying one of these.

Posted on April 21, 2005 12:00 PM | link to this entry

Design In-Flight

Design In-Flight
I'm going to have to buy this when I get a chance to breathe.

Posted on April 20, 2005 5:28 PM | link to this entry

Adobe buys Macromedia

Adobe Buys Macromedia
Can this be true? DAMN.

Posted on April 18, 2005 10:35 AM | link to this entry

Alternative Text Generator

Alternative Text Generators
For when Lorem Ipsum just won't do.

Posted on April 11, 2005 10:54 PM | link to this entry

Faded New York Signage

Faded New York Signage
I have an amateur collection of Baltimore signage, but this is good stuff.

Posted on March 30, 2005 4:11 PM | link to this entry

Excellent article on web interactivity

Veen on interactivity
There are so many excellent points made here...go read.

Posted on March 25, 2005 11:06 AM | link to this entry

CSS rounded box generator

Rounded box CSS generator
Brilliant. (via dominey)

Posted on March 24, 2005 2:35 PM | link to this entry