Logo Motives

GoodLogo!com features the world's finest selection of logos. In a similar move to HotorNot.com users can give each logo a rating out of 10 and the top logos are listed on the front page. Also informative are the Design Cases, snippets of info on the development of famous logos. Did you know the Coca-Cola logo which is still in use today was designed by Frank Robinson the company's early book-keeper. Apparently he was famed for his penmanship. I think it's amazing that such a pervasive logo which has lasted over 100 years of design trends was created by an amateur.
via zeldman

U.S. Government Graphics

Need some pictures of America to use in a project. The U.S. government has put together a graphics portal bringing together it's images and graphics many of which are available for use in the public domain.
via Anil Dash

MS Blast problems

I've spent most of today wrestling with the MS Blast virus. This is the first of a whole new variety of viruses which you can pick up simply by being connected to the internet. It's spread incredibly quickly and I've read estimates that over 300,000 users were infected within the first 48 hours. To find out more check out this feature at CNET.

Skate or Die!

All you old school skaters out there, get ready to get stoked! And after you've seen that movie bring back some more memories with Thrasher Magazine.

Speaking of street culture, skate on over to Stencil Revolution. They've got an excellent gallery of street stencils, tutorials, eps downloads and more all wrapped in a wicked design.
via digital thread

Nice Threads

It's been ages since I last visited digital thread. What was I thinking! If they keep dishing up excellent links like James Jean and Victory League I would be mad not to go there all the time.

Japanese Website Versions

Don't ask me why but the last couple of days I've found myself fascinated with checking out the Japanese versions of popular domain names. For example compare the difference between Hotwired Japan and the U.S. / International version. Yahoo Japan and Yahoo original hardly seem different at all, as does amazon.co.jp as compared to amazon.com. It makes me wonder how the design process works when you try and convert a website which is wildly successful in one nation to a completely different cultural space. The more I think about it the more I think that this subject would make a fine thesis for a communication design student. If you know of any online studies into this area let me know and I'll post the links. In the meantime here's some more to check out -
Nike Australia vs. Nike Japan
Greenpeace worldwide vs. Greenpeace Japan
Google International vs. Google Japan ( Almost identical I guess great designs work well across all cultures )
Disney America vs. Disney Japan

Lava Lamp Madness

Giant Lava Lamp found in Soap Lake WA USA - fact or fiction?

Ever wondered how a lava lamp works :- the good folks over at How Stuff Works know. Come to think of it, they know how heaps of stuff works.

Daft Design Rules

Design Rule No.1 - Listening to daft punk's discovery album and turning on your lava lamp while working on print designs might not make your designs any better but it makes waiting on those massive photoshop files to open a whole lot easier.

Brisbane Happenings

The Brisbane International Film Festival is on from the 29th July to the 10th August (I know I'm a bit late with the news but it's better late than never). If you get through that lot and are still after some mental stimulation Ideas at the Powerhouse runs over 3 days from the 14th to the 17th of August. To quote from their website "The generation and discussion of ideas is at the forefront of a more prosperous and civil society". Couldn't have said it better myself.

Typographically Speaking

Stumbling across experimental typography site no font made me want to revisit my typog related bookmarks. Typography is one of those fields where the more you learn the more you realise how little you know. The gargantuan Fonts.com and Myfonts.com are not bad places to start. Myfonts.com also has the ever popular What the Font(?) application. Or why not browse through the superb quality fonts over at Font Bureau and FontSite sites. Treat yourself to an education in the classic fonts then expand your mind with the experimental font fun at Prototype Fonts.

Pay the Piper

Every now and then an Internet publication I have read for free for years suddenly changes tack and switches to the paid content business model. So far I haven't enjoyed reading any of them enough to want to actually pay for the content when there are still so many high quality free publications (like this) to choose from. Still it seems like paid content is becoming more and more common - PaidConent.org keep track regularly of the comings and goings in this arena.

Tasty Search Engine Treats

SEO conscious web designers feel free to gorge yourself silly over at Alistapart where they have just published a small article on Search Engine Optimisation utilising xhtml and css. Also worth checking out are the search engine marketing tools over at Market Leap.

On the subject of search engines these guys have been around a while - Search Engine Watch, Search Engine World, and Submit Corner.

If we're going to be talking about search engine stuff I really should mention The Google Weblog, I guess it was only a matter of time.

Kean eye for detail

I have admired much of the work of Gabe Kean of Second Story without realising who was behind it. Visit his top shelf portfolio site to discover more about this talented individual. It's worth mentioning at this point Born Magazine which Gabe Kean founded and art directs. It's a collaboration of art and literature and serves to keep the creative juice pumping during those down moments.
via zeldman

In the interests of not seeming too high brow I have to also mention that I can't hear the word "keen" without thinking of playing Commander Keen on my old 386 . It seems like there are others who feel the same.

Opera in the Rainforest

While driving to work the other day I noticed a poster for Opera in the Rainforest being held in the rainforest at Maleny near my place. At first I was quite interested in this but after checking out the website I'm not so sure....maybe I'm a bit biased being a web designer and all, but when I see a site which is poorly designed it makes me hesitate just that little bit.

Rolling Upgrade

When I first set up this blog I didn't anticipate that there would be so much traffic to it straight away. So far I have put very little time into designing it, instead mainly focussing on posts. My plan now is for the design to be a work in progress. The site design will morph gradually over time and I'm not sure exactly how it will turn out but keep an eye on it's progress if you are interested. In the meantime I'll keep working on our business and posting on a regular basis.

Story Place

The Queensland Art Gallery is presenting Story Place an exhibition of Australian Indigenous art from the Cape York Peninsula. From the previews I've seen this looks like a must see for anyone in the Brisbane area.

I haven't been looking forward to an exhibition there as much as this since the recent Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art.

Days like today I really love living on Bribie Island. I took a walk on the beach at sunset with my wife, her mother and our dog Gertie and it was the most perfect light. A group of dolphins cruised along right in front of us rounding up a school of small fish in front of them. Ahhhhhh can we say relaxation.

Colour Tool

Here's an interesting colour tool for the home renovators out there...you know who you are

Rock Paper Scissors

Bizzarrely intriguing (is that spelt right?) gif animations at www.duudle.dk. I'm not sure what it is about these hand drawn animations that is so spellbinding but I found myself looking at them for ages. Side note: Mozilla seemed to take a real performance hit when displaying that page.

For those of you who think that luck is all there is to Rock Paper Scissors - think again!

both links via coudal

GoogleGuy Says

I've just come across a blog called GoogleGuy Says by a guy who passes on info which has been posted by a google employee to the Web Master World forums. Nothing like getting the low down straight from the horses mouth....well almost.