Archive for April, 2011
There’s Nothing Cooler than Kuler!
Posted by Kris Sheppard in Color, Resources on 04/19/2011
For those of you trying to come up with color schemes, I’d like to introduce you to Kuler from Adobe.
Kuler is not anything new. It’s been around since at least 2006. Kuler is a free online color resource that lets you try out and save different color combinations. You can also search for and view other user-created color combinations by keyword.
For power users, you can tinker around with different color modes (HSV, RGB, CMYK, LAB and HEX) and download desired color combinations as Adobe Swatch Exchange files that work within your Adobe programs.
All in all, it is a very useful resource and a “go to” when it comes to color picking.
Typographic Playing Cards
Posted by Kris Sheppard in Inspiration on 04/12/2011
I ran into these a while ago while reading a blog that I follow. My last post about the April Fool’s joke reminded me of it and I wanted to share it with you. These cards come from a UK based design firm called Hat-Trick Design.
This is a great example of creativity and a source of inspiration for design. The design on each of these cards is different, and each face design is created using the card’s value number or letter. Each design reveals an interesting pattern that also depicts the card’s suit. Be sure to not miss the joker’s face and when you take a closer look at the back design, you’ll see the values creating the pattern. I don’t think they reveal the face value however…
Click here for more info, pics and a video!
(Unfortunately, at the time of this post you can’t purchase them, though the creator says more are being printed.)
A Great April Fool’s Joke!
Posted by Kris Sheppard in Humor, News on 04/06/2011
I was reading The Magic Newswire and came across this post about The Magic Circle preparing to sue EU over forced changes to playing cards. Since this revolves around the design of playing cards, I thought it would be an appropriate post.
Read the full story here for a great laugh!
The new phonebooks are…I mean, the New Mandala is here!
Posted by Kris Sheppard in News, The Mandala on 04/06/2011
Be sure to check out my latest column in the new issue of The Mandala. In this issue I finish up a two part series on “Taboo Design Practices and how to fix them.”
This issue also features Shawn McMaster’s cover story on Michael Carbonaro: Performance Bizarrist, and other articles by Shawn McMaster, Geoff Williams, Lou Serrano, Rich Cowley, Keith Dion, Tony Clark, Paul Romhany, Brent Geris and Tom Burgoon.
The Mandala March/April 2011
Stuff Magicians Like No. 11 – Mullets
Posted by Kris Sheppard in Humor, Stuff Magicians Like on 04/03/2011
Okay, here goes. What’s with magicians and mullets? For a while there, it seemed like you couldn’t perform magic unless you had a nice luxurious mane of mullet! And we wonder why magicians aren’t taken seriously.
Personally, I think the mullet single-handedly sabotaged public opinion of magic. Mullets are, as you know, alive and have their own evil agendas. They seep into the heads of their wearers and turn the brains to mush. At least that’s what my grandmother said…or maybe that was TV, I can’t remember. I was too busy watching the tube, but that’s not important right now. Mullets are what’s important right now.
As I was looking for photos of magicians with mullets on Google, I thought that having one was a requirement to work Vegas, but then I couldn’t find a photo of Lance except one, below, with a phantom mullet. (Perhaps somebody can find one and post it in the comments.)
Anyhow, here are some of the photos I found…for your viewing pleasure. Read the rest of this entry »
Lee Asher’s Diving Board Double
Posted by Kris Sheppard in News, Projects, Redesign on 04/01/2011
Lee Asher's New Diving Board Double Ebook Title
Original Diving Board Double Cover
Lee Asher had contacted me to redesign his Diving Board Double ebook.
The main reason he wanted to do this was to include his own Fournier 605 playing cards in place of the Bicycle card he had previously used.
With this in mind, I made a couple suggestions. First was to find new photography. I wanted to find a shot that showed more of the diving board because I wanted to add the Fournier card back directly onto the board. My second suggestion was to replace the feet with shoes…because feet are, well, just gross looking. As you’ll see, you can’t go wrong with some Chuck Taylors.
Finally, I wanted to spice things up with the typography for the title. You can see, above, how I make it look like it’s floating above the water, complete with the shadow on the bottom of the pool.
I love it. You’ve managed to modernize the concept. Great work.—Lee Asher
Here is the complete, finished cover in its natural habitat.
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