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- Print Graphic Design
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March12th
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September26th
No CommentsAdobe will introduce a 64-bit enabled version of Creative Suite 4, but initially only Windows Vista users will get 64-bit versions across the board. Mac users have to wait for 64-bit versions of some aps, including Photoshop, and Carbon is the culprit, the company explains.
This is because many of the applications which make up CS4 (including Photoshop) are written in the Carbon development language rather than Cocoa. When at WWDC 2007 Apple revealed that it would not support 64-bit in Carbon, Adobe realized it would need to rewrite some of its applications in Cocoa, Apple’s collection of frameworks, APIs, and accompanying runtimes that make up the development layer of Mac OS X, before the applications would be able to take advantage of 64-bit computing power.
“We have to rewrite from scratch,” said Adobe Photoshop product manager John Nack. “This makes the cost of the move considerably greater than for Windows. So we will ship 64-bit Windows version first,” he added.
When Carbon-64 was cancelled Adobe “took resources from the CS4 effort” to focus on the switch to Cocoa. “But we didn’t think we should sacrifice the whole CS4 feature set for 64-bit on the Mac,” revealed Nack.
Luckily the company wrote its relatively new Lightroom application in Cocoa so the transition to 64-bit can be immediate in that case, which is why the company introduced a 64-bit beta version of Lightroom to Mac users this morning.
When asked whether Adobe should have recognized the transition to Cocoa from Carbon sooner, Nack explained that while some might think that if software wants to be taken seriously as a Mac application it should be written in Cocoa, but “Apple’s Finder is written in Carbon.”
Nack would reveal no details of a shipping date for the new version of Creative Suite, saying that: “There is no time scale for CS4,” and that it is: “Too early to say when we can deliver 64-bit for Mac.”
He added that the next version of Photoshop will ship in 32- and 64-bit versions for Windows, with a simultaneous release of the software for the Mac, though the 64-bit version for Mac will be a subsequent release.
64-bit hype?
The delay may not matter too much. Nack doesn’t appear convinced that being able to exploit 64-bit computing immediately would be a great benefit to all Photoshop users.
“The real strength of 64-bit’s is letting you address a large amount of memory. You’ll see the biggest difference when working with large images or moving around a lot of data,” he explained. To take advantage of 64-bit you need “more than 4GB Ram allocated to Photoshop,” he added.
“If you are a web user moving files around then you won’t see much difference. Where you will see a substantial performance increase is with large files — for example it could cut the time it takes to open a large image from 200 to 70 seconds.
“For pros it matters, for normal people it is more of a marginal performance difference.
“We don’t want to overhype 64-bit with expectations that aren’t going to be matched,” he added.
But regardless of the status of 64-bit right now, Nack believes that getting set-up with 64-bit now is good because it will future-proof the Creative Suite applications for a time when all PCs and Macs support 64-bit and feature adequate RAM as standard.
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September9th
No CommentsThe Four Key Elements Every Online Publisher Needs
Posted in: Internet Marketing, Print Graphic Design
Blogging and online publishing (web designs) are about content and communication, not code. Key elements of a website framework that online publishers need to succeed:
- SEO: How well your code and content are organized and optimized for both search engines and people.
- Accessibility: How well your site reaches different audiences—those with special needs, people using alternative Web browsers, mobile users, etc.
- Usability: How well your users are able to navigate and interact with your site, and how well your site accomplishes your ultimate goals as a publisher.
- Support: How well the architect of your site answers your questions, along with a friendly community of others who do the same.
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September8th
No CommentsA Client’s Guide to Design: PT5 Business expectations for a professional designer
Posted in: Internet Marketing, Print Graphic Design, Website Design
In today’s information-saturated world, where an organization’s success is determined by the power of its brand, professional designers become even more important in ensuring that companies communicate effectively—an imperative with bottom-line impact. Furthermore, a professional designer’s ability to execute communications projects efficiently and economically is more critical than ever.
When a client invests in the services of a professional designer, he or she hires an individual who aspires to the highest level of strategic design, ensuring a higher return on investment. If a designer meets the following criteria, he or she will demonstrate the integrity and honor of the professional designer.
Experience and knowledge
A professional designer is qualified by education, experience and practice to assist organizations with strategic communication design. A professional designer has mastered a broad range of conceptual, formal and technological skills.
A professional designer applies his or her knowledge about physical, cognitive, social and cultural human factors to communication planning and the creation of an appropriate form that interprets, informs, instructs or persuades.
Strategic process
A professional designer combines creative criteria with sound problem-solving strategy to create and implement effective communication design. A professional designer solves communication problems with effective and impactful information architecture.
A professional designer becomes acquainted with the necessary elements of a client’s business and design standards. A professional designer conducts the necessary research and analysis to create sound communication design with clearly stated goals and objectives.
A professional designer will submit an initial communication strategy to an organization’s management for approval and meet with a client as often as necessary to define ongoing processes and strategy.
Compensation and
financial practices
A professional designer provides the client with a working agreement or estimate for all projects. A professional designer will not incur any expenses in excess of the budget without the client’s advance approval.
A professional designer may apply reasonable handling and administrative charges to reimbursable items that pass through the designer’s account with the knowledge and understanding of the client.
A professional designer does not undertake speculative work or proposals (spec work) in which a
client requests work without providing compensation and without developing a professional relationship that permits the designer sufficient access to the client to provide a responsible recommendation. -
August29th
No CommentsA Client’s Guide to Design: PT2 Finding the right designer
Posted in: Internet Marketing, Print Graphic Design, Website Design
People with a great deal of experience—both as
designers and as clients—will tell you that if you really
do your homework in the selection process, the
chances are excellent that what follows will bring
about the hoped–for resultsWhere to look
There are more than 19,000 members of AIGA, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other businesses providing graphic design that aren’t members. There are also other graphic design associations with their own memberships. And this is just the United States It’s a big community and, as with all businesses, design is increasingly global.
Where do you start?
The membership lists of AIGA and other design organizations are available to the public. They are a good place to begin, especially if you’re starting from ground zero. You will find the lists arranged by city and state, so that if location is an issue for you, you can define your search geographically. Start with AIGA’s online membership directory at www.aiga.org/membership. Design industry publications are another source. They are both numerous and accessible. Not only do they publish the work of designers on a regular basis, many also publish design annuals that display what the publications judge to be the best design in a variety of categories. These publications will not only show you what designers are capable of producing, but also how companies of all sizes and from every sector of industry are using design to communicate effectively. Reviewing them is a fairly easy way to see a lot of work quickly. Doing so may also tell you something about where your own design comfort zone lies. And while your personal comfort zone isn’t necessarily the right yardstick for making a selection, knowing it will help you in the “briefing” process (more on this shortly). Still another way to find designers is to look around at what other companies are doing; call the companies whose efforts you admire and ask for their recommendations.
Companies that are doing a good job of communicating are companies who care about it, and they’re typically willing to discuss the subject. Furthermore, if they’re doing good work, it usually means they are good clients. Find out from them what makes a design client a good client. Designers themselves are also good sources. Ask them whom they respect within their field. There’s nothing wrong with getting them to name their competition. While it might make choosing tougher, when you make the final selection from among designers who are peers, you usually come out better than when you don’t. (And if the relationship doesn’t work, well, you have some future contenders you already know something about.)
