Three: The magic number for Color Resources

Navigating the world of color can be difficult at times. So many choices. So many directions to go. Here are three websites with applications and tools that can help you sort through the myriad of directions you could go when trying to decide the right scheme for a particular project.

Adobe Kuler Interface

First up is Adobe Kuler, an excellent web application that lets you create palettes, choose palettes from their community, and has a handful of links that provide some good references to color usage. Second in the lineup is a site called Colour Lovers. Colour Lovers offers a wide array of methods to select colors, create / browse palettes, and tools to help you along your chromatic journey.

Finally there is Pantone’s myPantone, a place where you can access Pantone’s various apps, help center, and color community. These sites represent a drop in the bucket, the tip of the iceberg of what’s out there to help you in your quest for perfect color schemes and immaculate color implementation. You could always go old school with one of the these if you don’t have one.■

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Designers Toolbox

Don't be such a tool! Go use some.

Every designer who is working in the field knows that at one point or another they will forget the dimensions for a certain type of print project or quite possibly the correct HTML code for a particular symbol / glyph. With the wonders of the World Wide Web, we now have such wonderful little sites such as Designers Toolbox. Designers Toolbox provides an essential reference of printed and web document sizes, folding guides, binding styles, templates, dummy text generators and more. I keep it in my quick toolbar in my internet browser for a quick reference on projects when I’m not 100% sure I am using the correct method, format, etc. Give it a try!■

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Feeling low on inspiration? You need some Vitamin P.

Vitamin P: Bigger than a horse pill but oh-so good for you

About a year ago I came across an excellent book by the name of Vitamin P. Written by renowned art critic and writer Barry Schwabsky, Vitamin P examines the state of painting in the 21st century and provides dozens of examples of new paintings from every corner of the globe, representing a myriad of styles and approaches. Schwabsky provides an inside look at each artist’s process and an exploratory view of selected pieces from their collections. The insight from each artist allows the reader a greater perspective into the mind of each contributor and in the end, helps you appreciate the talent and work they have cultivated. In the end no book is perfect and it could most likely have done better with slightly more context and content. It is also not by any means, a cheap book. But, you get what you pay for.■

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The Google Art Project

A picture of Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night"

Google's art cred with the masses improves

Just when I’m ready to strangle Google for trying to take over the world again, I am pleased to see one of their new peace offerings, Art Project. The Art Project is a tremendous undertaking, digitizing several hundred individual pieces of artwork and creating virtual tours of some of the world’s top museums. All the artwork has been imaged in high resolution and the level of detail available for each item is pretty amazing. Another cool feature is the personalized gallery feature which allow you to save your favorite works and put them into your own unique collection. This visual approximation Google has cooked up doesn’t compare to seeing the work in person. But, until I get money for a plane tickets, hotels, and time to actually see these places — this will have to do.■

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CMYK: The Album?

Time to get Derty!

CMYK the album? I’m not sure if there is a whole album, however there is a CMYK EP by an artist known as Dert. Dert takes elements from hip-hop and electronic production and puts them together in interesting, often times unexpected ways. There is a track dedicated to each part of the 4-color process, each with its own flavor / feel. My first exposure to Dert’s musical styling was under the pseudonym “Dert Floyd” courtesy of his remixed and resampled versions of various works from Pink Floyd, entitled The West Side of The Moon. Good music for color seperating — or just chillin’.■

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Dark Roasted Goodness

Before there was QWERTY there was WTF.

To those of you not familiar with the site Dark Roasted Blend, you are missing out. There are some great visuals there, spread across various themes that range anywhere from abnormal to absolutely insane. Next time you need some good visuals to get the creative juices flowing you should give it a try.■

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Overcoming Creative Block

Harry Plotter: "Creativity managed!"

Creativity is a combination of hard work, persistence, observation, and planning — not necessarily in that specific order. For my first blog post I’d like to share a nice article about something important to almost anyone, no matter their profession: creativity. Getting past those creative dead zones can be tough. Here is a nice article courtesy of ISO50, the blog of artist / designer / musician / etc Scott Hansen.■

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