Eric's Graphic Design Blog

A "Favicon" is the little icon associated with a website, that most noticeably appears in the address bar of the browser next to the website URL and in the favorites (or bookmarks) list... you'll see About's "orange ball" favicon above. These little icons are one of the smallest examples of graphic design out there, and while not completely necessary, have become another part of many online brands.

Google recently updated theirs to a lowercase blue "g," so if there was ever a time to analyze the favicon, this may be it. Designing one can be a challenge, because of the tiny dimensions. Check out Google to see their new icon, and feel free to submit your favorite favicons here.

I was happy to see the new Indiana Jones movie brought back the classic "plane flying over a map" sequence seen in previous Indy flicks. Mark Simonson took font research to a whole new level when he studied the typefaces on the maps from each film, and discovered that not one of the 4 movies actually used fonts on the map that existed when the films take place. Some use fonts with characteristics of the era, others are way off. Fun to read and impressive findings, but even as a graphic designer this can't take away my love for the "Jones" series.

The "Web Designer Wall" compiled an interesting list of websites that follow what they consider the current online trends, from vintage styles to script fonts to zig zag patterns. There's certainly a great bunch of sites in there that will provide some design inspiration, and the list does capture a lot of what is going on with web design these days.

I do think it misses on one key style, which are the "web 2.0" sites of large fonts, clean designs and gradient backgrounds. While I do think that's being a bit overdone, I appreciate the usability of the web 2.0 sites much more than the slow-loading flash sites of web days past.

What's your favorite (or least favorite) web design trend?

TechCrunch reported today that maybe a new Yahoo! logo is coming soon... or maybe not. The new purple sans-serif was briefly spotted on the home page, and several variations have been spotted since. Perhaps Yahoo! is testing out the response, but one question remains... whether it's real or not, what do you think of it?

You may have seen this line used before in design mockups. It is know as "Lorem Ipsum," and it is Latin text often used in graphic design as filler content. Rather than have lines such as "Text here" that will only distract the audience of a design proposal, Lorem Ipsum is easily ignored, keeping the focus on the design itself. It can also be a time saver... rather than search for fake content that fits the project, drop the necessary amount of Lorem Ipsum in and move on.

One of my favorite, simple online tools is at lipsum.com, a site with one purpose... to generate any amount of Lorem Ipsum text you need.

One of my favorite sites to visit and use for research is archive.org's WayBack machine, which allows users to search for web pages that are no longer online. According to the Internet Archive, "the average lifespan of a web page is 44 -75 days," making it that much more important to preserve the designs and styles of our Internet past. The WayBack machine actually saves working versions of millions of sites, an amazing resource for designers looking to see the look of the internet, and specific sites, going back as far as 1996.

Many graphic designers set the goal of one day leaving the cubicle behind and going out on their own, freelancing, being their own boss. While exciting, and enticing, this is certainly nothing to rush into. There are many factors to take into account when considering this move, including:

• Savings: Have you saved up money for the "dry spells."
• Steady work: Aside from the out-of-the-blue freelance gig, do you have steady clients providing consistent work?
• Benefits: Do you have a plan to get health benefits? Think of the things left behind when you leave a corporation.
• Change in Lifestyle: Working for yourself may be great, but it may also mean working alone in your living room. Think about how you will handle the change in lifestyle and lack of interaction.
• A team: Handling all of the aspects of a business alone can be daunting... lawyers and accountants can help prepare you for the legal and financial sides of working on your own.

When do you think the right time to go freelance is? Share your stories...

I would consider the Illustrator pen tool to be one of the most impressive, and difficult to master, tools in the entire Adobe suite. With it, designers can create countless lines, shapes and illustrations. I normally wouldn't highlight an individual tool here, but it's important that designers get comfortable with the pen tool, and hopefully go on to master it through practice. Once you get the hang of it, the power of the pen is only limited by your creativity.

How do you use the pen tool? Examples are welcome.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a quick Q&A on spec work, and why to avoid it. I just came across the AIGA's (American Institute of Graphic Arts) position on spec work, which includes helpful sample letters to use in response to requests for spec and design competitions. As AIGA puts it, spec work "seriously compromises the quality of work that clients are entitled to and also violates a tacit, long-standing ethical standard." What do you think?

The Museum of Modern Art's "Design and the Elastic Mind" showcases works and objects created by designers in response to changes in society and culture. The focus is on the relationship between design and science, with over 300 featured projects. The website itself is an amazing work, with related projects tied together through an impressive interface. Browse categories such as "Harvesting the Internet" and "3D Printing" in this unique online experience.