Giveaway #2

I have an extra copy of the January/February 2008 issue of Communication Arts. It's a multi-topic issue full of beautiful work and insightful commentary.
Want it? Leave a comment on this post & I'll pick a winner February 1st.

Design Catastrophe

Well here I am. It's twenty three minutes to midnight and I am within a couple hours of wrapping up my project 2 for the Flash Action Script class. Guess what? It won't publish. AGAIN!

This is the fourth time. And the solution is not obvious. I have to dig and sift through all of the files, script, tweens, frames and names to find where the problem is. I've never thrown in the towel, but right now I'm in the last round and my ass is getting whooped.

Which brings me to my question. What is your greatest graphic design catastrophe or challenge?

And from that experience, what would advice would you give to your peers to help them circumvent the trauma. My fatal flaw was not publishing the flash movie every 2 minutes. I'd gone probably 30-50 minutes without publishing, which in design time feels more like 13.78 minutes.

Also, while I typically do my best when I push the envelope of time, when it comes to anything involving more-than-simple-printing (i.e. Package Design) or simple-to-complex-coding (Flash and Web Design) NEVER EVER EVER push the envelope!

Skin Type

Any volunteers to make the "a"?

Alphabet created using skin folds

Animator vs. Animation

Have you seen this very cool little Flash animation yet? Turn up your volume to get all the great sound effects. Thanks to Annette for sharing this gem with me!

Animator vs. Animation by alanbecker

Book making workshop

I'd love to hear some feedback from the lastest workshop. If you attended, let us know what you thought. Have an idea for a workshop? Leave it in the comments.

Photos from both of our events this year can be seen at the GDSG homepage.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Could somebody cue Gary Wright?

Giveaway #1

I hesitate to label this giveaway #1 for the off chance that I am unable to get more goodies for all of you. This could be the only giveaway, so make sure you get your name in to win!

I'm giving away a copy of Exploring Dreamweaver 8. The drawing will take place December 10th. To be in the running for a copy of this book, just leave a comment on this post by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 9th. Not just any old comment. Let me know what topics/workshops/etc. you would like to see addressed here on the blog or in our meetings. Any active GDSG member who leaves a comment will be eligible. The first member who leaves a comment correctly stating why I titled this post the way I did will get an extra entry.

Get your comments in and good luck!

Hart Associates

Despite an important internal meeting leaving us waiting in the lobby for over twenty minutes, the tour of Hart Associates was a great experience. Brad Zabroski, Senior Art Director at Hart Associates, was our very generous tour guide. He led us through a labyrinth of cubicles, hard drives, and creative teams—all the while explaining the surroundings to our group.

After a tour of the impressive and friendly facilities we sat down in the cushy conference room where video of various examples of Hart's award winning work played on a large screen at the head of the table. It was here that Brad answered all of our questions in an informal q&a session. He had lots to say, but one thing that stuck out to me was his 4 key areas to consider in solving a design problem:

• Brand
• Target
• Message
• Reason to Believe

What did you think of the tour? If you missed it, what do you think about Hart Associates site? Their work?