[via My Modern Met]

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It doesn’t matter, whether you are a beginner in business or a professional, you should always keep your personalized business card to yourself. Moreover you shouldn’t leave home without it. This vital marketing tool ties a first knot in your relationship with a client. Business card is like a face of your company and goes on to work for you even when you are not close to your potential partner or customer. It’s the most important element of your visual identity and an excellent way to promote yourself, impress people and make them to remember you.

Every businessman should have their own visiting card, which usually contains information such as his name, address, email, phone number, business logo and other wholesome data. But the main purpose of a business card is not only to provide clients with your contact information but also to make people get in touch with you and to collaborate for the mutually beneficial deals.

Presently more and more people are using outstanding visiting cards to convey the image and personality of their business. They understand it’s not just a simple rectangular, it’s a really efficient tool of advertising and too powerful trend to ignore. But how should it look to leave a good long lasting impression?

The business card may have different forms and be can made of unusual materials. The optimal size is the size that perfectly fits into the business card holders, but that’s not a standard and you may make your business card round, oval, square and even with holes or take a form of a line, balloon, bottle, animal and etcetera!

Everything depends only on your powerful imagination! A business card has to be both laconic and informative enough to stand out. You may complement this branding tool with subtle typography, company logo and harmonious color combination. Don’t forget about the quality of the paper, this aspect is also very relevant, specially if you are a representative of a paper company . The front side has to grab clients’ attention at the first sight and make customers trust you, your services and your company.

Don’t place much information on the face side, clients can loose the main aim and don’t catch the meaning of your business. All supplementary data can be printed on the back of a visiting card, where you can give freedom to your imagination and write whatever you wish! There you can include interesting offers, useful reminders, outstanding propositions and stunning solutions that your company provides. The design of a business card has to make people become your clients, and then your clients will return into your constant customers. But first step to all this is your effective and remarkable business card!

You can create visiting card by yourself, spend some good amount of money or choose a professional business card template designed by FlashMint or some other templates marketplace. The main thing to keep is mind is that your business card should have unique design and stand out against the crowd of ordinary plain cards.

If you are still not sure what exactly you want and hesitate what form of business card to choose, you have a great chance to look through our cool roundup and select one, that really attracts your attention. In this showcase we’ve collected business cards which are made by different techniques, such as: letterepressing, die-cutting, varnishes, metallic inks and made of metal, plastic, steel and other various non traditional materials. We’ve gathered an awesome selection of 35 spectacular templates that, surely, will give you a huge doze of inspiration and make you to ensure that business card is more than just a piece of paper with a person’s contact details, it’s a little masterpiece! And if you want your business be successful you have to own this efficient business accessory!

Two sides business card

Simple, elegant and informative. Gorgeous ornament element looks effective on both deep-black and rich gold backgrounds.

Sweet Thrills Candy Store and Dr. Kenneth Montague (Dentist): Dual-Sided Business Card

Sweet Thrills is a candy store. Kenneth Montague is a dentist. They decided it would be awesome if they shared a business card. The idea is really stunning!

Business card for Lady Club

This business card has a spectacular design with flower graphic extended outside of the card’s border.

D. Gyurov

This concept-based business card was designed by D. Gyurov. A funny figure with the thought balloon attracts attention at a glance.

NinjaBTL business card 4

These business cards are pretty cool, folded in origami folding way. They are created by NinjaBTL advertising agency designers.

Business Card – Tone

The design of a business card represents the image of a tone company and the main message they want to convey. It has stylish and neat appearance.

Basta business card

This business card has a round form and special tear-off line to fit to the card holder. Its size is perfect to read the text.

Chibi-Amimi

This cute business card is so differ from others. A piece of paper against a hand made envelope is a really outstanding solution! You can write all important data on this field.

Blo0p

There is a funny cartoon illustration on the front side and all necessary information on the back side. Color choice is perfect for advertising business card.

Business card bios design

A lovely typographic business card by graphic designer Nebuladiagnostics. Creative ideas and skillful implementation make these card look anything but ordinary.

Sonologue Business Card

This business card template has a quite nifty design that impresses with its bright laconism. You can fill speech bubbles with anything creative while handing over cards — it makes the meeting memorable and the card has a better chance of not being thrown away!

Amy Mullin Business Card

Retro Pinup Styled Business Card for Local Hair Stylist.

Cafe Ulige business card

The business card is made for class by graphic designer from Denmark Alexandr Freiling.

Transparent business card

The transparent business card with minimalist design and beautiful image of a planet. Nothing unnecessary, very effective appearance.

Chris Piascik

This weird business card is done by inking a raised surface and then pressing it into the paper, giving the design both color and depth. It is printed on a heavy water-color paper. Pay attention to the extra texture it has.

Fuelhaus

A business card can be one of the most cost-effective investments you can make for your brand. This business card is really efficient promotional tool, it tells the story and proves the point.

Squink

Snazzy and gorgeous business card with a metallic-gold picture on a deep-black background. It’s a perfect solution for a graphic designer.

MiTea

Round formed business cards by MiTea, importers of rare teas from all around the world. Letter-pressed in 13 languages.

Junge Schachtel

The business card has creative design, it has a tear-off line where the names of the designers are hidden. Very original and beautiful.

Cafe Java

These die cut business cards are silk laminated and made for Cafe Java. They make us want a cup of coffee, really creative use of typography and content.

Yoga One

An amazing business card with two holes for fingers. Put your digits into the holes and they’ll look like legs. So funny and outstanding solution.

Reactor

These cards are both personal and memorable. Creative pop up business cards with a quotation in a thought balloon for each member of a team.

Lush Lawn and Property Enhancement

Business cards that essentially double as seed packets. Cards were letter-pressed, filled with grass seed and glued by hand. Designed by Brandon Knowlden.

Mineral Water Business Card

This card takes the shape of the product. Instant recognition!

The Farm

Bright business card design with a funny sheep that is covered in a white fluff. Effective and beautiful advertising of a wool company.

Self-promotion business card

This kind of business card is not only awesome but also useful, you can give it to the partner or client and every time he will use it, your ad will be in sight. That is very clever!

TAM Cargo: Business card

Traditional business card can be transformed into a funny little box of transporting cargo air. The card was design by Brazilian advertising agency Y&R for TAM Airlines.

Norburn Model Aircraft Supply: Business Card

One more creative idea for your business cards collection. Glider shaped card is a unique solution for aircraft company.

Lettre Savauge

The stylish letterpress business card with the image of forked lightning by Lettre Sauvage Letterpress.

Product of Columbia

Cloth bag with a circle built in, the business card of Coffee company. Brilliant work, wouldn’t you agree?

Base One

Nice card concept. There are different answers under the “b” for different cards. But this one is very positive and pleasant, it runs as follows: Dan would like to believe “that this business card made you smile”.

Kensey Lu Accessories

This elegant and gentle business card was designed for Kensey Lu accessories by Stewart West and John Johnson.

The rabbit and the duck

An awesome work by The rabbit and the duck. The sewn edge in red grabs attention at a glance.

Slap Audio Studio: Business card

An amazing business card stylized as a cassette. It was designed for Audio Studio.

September 29th, 2010 Posted in Inspiration by Karen Myers

Why businesses use Gmail for professional email accounts

Watch the Gmail overview video. Learn how to: Find emails fast | Voice and video chat | IM from your inbox | Sync with Outlook

Learn how to: Schedule a meeting | Share a calendar | Show a calendar in Google Sites | Sync with Outlook

• Get people together easily – Just pick a time (based on when people are free) and enter meeting details. Google Calendar will send invitations and keep track of RSVPs.
• Share project calendars – Share whole calendars company-wide or with specific people. Coworkers can have editing rights and see shared events alongside their own schedules.
• Show event information in context – Embed an internal calendar in Google Sites or publicly on your website, no programming required.
• Interoperability – Sync your Microsoft Outlook calendar with Google calendar.

See other Google Apps videos | Begin your free trial »

Topics include:

• Clients
• Typography
• Designers
• User Interfaces
• Adobe

Illustration by Edward Lear, courtesy of “T”eresa

There once was a graphic designer
Who could not draw a straight liner
Fresh out of school
She thought she was cool
And soon was a cook in a diner!

There once was a trendy typesetter
Who thought “less is more is more better”
“I’ll sit here and scratch
at my tiny soul patch,
Until my design is one letter.”

There once was a UI Designer
Who thought a right-nav was more finer.
But users bemoaned
When they could not find “Home”,
And simply restarted their browser.

There once was a client so wiley
He asked for every source filey.
He’d edit them twice
And say “Now they’re nice!”
And we’d stare at him with a blank smiley

There once was a designer so immature
She had not yet heard of a ligature.
She’d kern “f” and “i”
And then make a sigh
While wishing for one nice clean character.

There was an “Adobe Updater”
Who’s button said “Update me later”.
Whenever we’d work,
It popped up like a jerk.
And so we are “Updater” haters!

A prominent button called “Home”
Caused UI elitists to foam.
“It should not be there!”
And they tore out their hair,
Then banged their heads on a big stone.

In Dreamweaver there was a bug,
But Adobe was silently smug.
“Pretend it’s not there!”
Said support with no care,
And swept the bug under the rug!

There once was a client so bozo
He thought he’d design his own logo.
He did it in raster,
And thought it was faster
Because bezier curves he did not know.

There once was client so lame
He flipped when he saw a wireframe
“The graphics are sparse,
And your firm is a farse!”
But we knew that this man did have no brain.

There once was a program called Freehand
It was the best tool in the whole land
But the software was sold
To Adobe the bold
And Freehand was soon no more at hand.

A designer with senses so fickle
He felt every unaligned pixel
“It’s off by a bit!
What are you a twit?”
And for lunch he ate ought but sour pickles.

There once was a blogging designer
Who said “I will sooner retire!
I’ll write blogs all day,
And sip my latte.”
But soon found his finances goner.

A program called Photo the Shopper
Was loaded with menus and slopper
“Just raise the price
to make naughty nice”
But users soon proved this a flopper.

Adobe the Great was a giant
To whom all it’s slaves was defiant:
“While charging more price,
I’ll make things less nice!”
And to this day all are compliant.

~By Douglas Bonneville on November 9, 2009

What we have here is that list of 19 top fonts once again, but this  time combined into pairs to give us 19 excellent font combinations.

How does combining fonts work?

I simply followed the golden rule of font combinations, which is simply to combine a serif and a sans serif to give “contrast” and not “concord”. The farther apart the typeface styles are, as a guideline, the more luck you’ll have. Fonts that are too similar look bad. Set a line of Times Roman over Garamond and you’ll see what I mean.  I chose the simple model of a bold headline font and normal weight body font. All the font combinations got the same “lorem” text.

How did I choose the combinations?

I tried to mix it up, but had to make some arbitrary decisions. For instance, I could have picked Baskerville, Caslon, Garamond, or Minion, etc. (all serif typefaces) to go with Futura (a sans serif typeface). I simply choose to spread them out amongst themselves, keeping the use of repeats down to a minimum.

The results

You may love some of these combinations and hate others, or be unphased by yet others (or you may think I dwell on this too much). However, this is not a fair fight. Pretty much any two fonts can be balanced out and made to work with each other in some type of context. Our context here was strictly delimited, and so any of these combinations might warrant further experimentation for even better results.

Finally, I tried to keep the look of each example as close as possible to each other. This involved using the occasional semibold or light to balance a font out at certain point size. I also tweaked font size and leading in the interest of creating uniformity amongst the examples.

So here we have the following items:

• A very long chart of the font combinations
• We must also technically call this a list of top typface combinations, which is what it really is (Google “fonts and typefaces” for some spirited discussions).
• A link to a PDF version (2 column) of the original I composed
• A text list version of these combinations

PDF Download:

Click the preview image below or download “19 top fonts in 19 top combinations chart“:

Text version of list:

• Helvetica / Garamond
• Caslon / Univers
• Frutiger / Minion
• Futura / Bodoni
• Garamond / Futura
• Gill Sans / Caslon
• Minion / Gill Sans
• Univers / Caslon
• Bodoni / Futura
• Myriad / Minion
• Avenir / Warnock
• Caslon / Franklin Gothic
• FF Din / Baskerville
• Trade Gothic / Clarendon
• Baskerville / Univers
• Akzidenz Grotesk / Garamond
• Clarendon / Trade Gothic
• Franklin Gothic / Baskerville
• Warnock / Univers

Enjoy! Thanks again for reading and looking and downloading and printing! And please tell me I didn’t make a typo…

~BonFX – Logo Designer & Freelance Graphic Designer

With tools and controls akin to pro page-layout apps, FormatPixel lets you lay out a multi-page document in a Web browser. You add, remove, and rearrange pages in a PageMaker-like organizer that beats anything in InDesign and XPress. You can insert and format text and graphics; add FLV video files; change object blending modes; and position and layer objects with full transparency support.

When you’re done, your FormatPixel project can be viewed on the Web — either in FormatPixel’s gallery or embedded in your own site. Your project will appear like a magazine, with two-page spreads, automatic page numbering, and page-turning animations that are classy and minimalist.

With the free “Vanilla” FormatPixel service, you can create one project up to 512KB in size. From there, paid packages come in different flavors (literally), such as the “Apple” 5-project, 5MB account for £15 PA (about US$25); up to the £40/$66 “Chocolate” plan with 20 projects and 20MB of storage.

Photoshop Actions
Photoshop actions are macros; that is, recorded series of commands and settings that automate just about any task or series of tasks in Photoshop. They’re so flexible that many can take the place of expensive plug-ins.

I’ve compiled six photo-processing actions and six effects-based actions. After downloading, extract each and move the .ATN files into the Presets\Actions folder under your installation of Photoshop (in the Applications folder on a Mac or under Program Files\Adobe\ on Windows). Most, if not all, of these 12 actions should work equally well in Photoshop CS, CS2, CS3, and CS4.

50 Photoshop Postwork Actions by Manicho:

Night-Fate’s Photoshop Actions #4:

Cross-Processing by JennyW:

Photoshop Actions 100 by Night-Fate:

Rather Large Set by RocketLaunch:

Polaroid Generator V2:

Lithprint Action by Hard Boiled:

Hand-Colored Vintage Photo:

Photo Cube Effect:

Reflections:
http://www.panosfx.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53:r…target=”new”>

High-Quality Fonts
It’s already been three months since the all-fonts edition of Free for All, and I think it’s time for some more free fonts. Yes, I pointed you to more than 300 free fonts in last month’s special Halloween edition, but those fonts are specific to Halloween and Saimhain. Let’s get 15 more general-purpose free fonts into your library.

Gayatri:

Pico, Twitter logo font:

Will&Grace:

Ariapenciroman:

Tallys:

Back to School:

Lacuna [At the Flash-based Web site, click "Type Design" and then "Lacuna." The download links for Mac and PC are at the bottom.]:

Kravitz:

Heavy Diacritics:

MDRS-FD01 font:

Capture It:

Day Roman:

Facet:

Generate Color Palettes from an Image
When I first saw this freebie, I nearly passed it by. It analyzes a photograph and generates a color palette file comprised of the colors complementary to those in the photo. “Eh,” I thought. “Anyone can build a palette of colors in a few minutes with the Eyedropper tool and Color panel.” In the interests of being thorough, however, I gave the Pictaculous palette generator a try, and it really surprised me with its utility.

I uploaded a photo of a pier at sunset, and within seconds Pictaculous returned a nice selection of five colors, along with related color suggestions from Kuler and ColourLovers. It then let me download a Photoshop .ACO swatch file. Try it yourself!

Online Invoicing
Still looking for a perfect online invoicing option? Check out Zoho. Although the free account is limited to only five invoices per month, that just might be enough if you’re lucky enough to have a few big accounts. All other features of the free account are the same as paid accounts: the ability to send estimates and invoices as PDFs; invoice tracking and overdue reminders; recurring invoices for, say, site maintenance contracts; and automatic currency conversion for clients in different countries.

What can I find free for you? Want more free fonts? More Photoshop brushes? How about more online applications that do this or that for free? Tell me in the comments what you’d like to see in future installments of Free for All, and I’ll do my best bloodhound impression to track it down for you.

Please note: Free for All will often link to resources hosted on external Web sites outside of the control of CreativePro.com. At any time those Web sites may close down, change their site or permalink structures, remove content, or take other actions that may render one or more of the above links invalid. As such neither Pariah S. Burke nor CreativePro.com can guarantee the availability of the third-party resources linked to in Free for All.

It can invigorate a company’s image or squander its brand equity. To see which gambles paid off, Fortune turned to a few experts to judge some of the most dramatic transformations.

Apple – A Chic Redesign

Talk about a makeover.

Just imagine what an iBook or iPhone would look like with this image on it: definitely not as chic.

Ronald Wayne designed Apple’s original logo in 1976 when the company was still operating out of a garage.

It shows Isaac Newton sitting beneath a tree with an apple dangling precariously above his head.

Rob Janoff used the same apple in his redesign a year later.

“You can almost feel the ’70s and ’80s taking place when you take a look at that rainbow apple,” says Bill Gardner, principal of Gardner Design.

Apple dropped the multi-colored logo in 1998 for a monochromatic version, produced in every color imaginable, until transitioning it to today’s popular shade of chrome.

BP – Re-Branding Faces Reality

After British Petroleum merged with Amoco, the oil giant commissioned branding firm Landor & Associates and advertising agency Oglivy & Mather to fashion a corporate identity that would convey the image of a forward-thinking, socially conscious company.

BP had already begun building that persona: After all, former CEO Lord John Browne was the first oil executive to acknowledge the threat of global warming.

The bursting green, yellow, and white Greek mythology-inspired “Helios” symbol that replaced BP’s shield is meant to imply a shift toward alternative, environmentally-friendly sources of energy like solar and biofuels, and relentless advertising has made the company’s initials synonymous with “beyond petroleum.”

But a series of oil spills and accidents suggested that BP wasn’t walking the walk, leading some to consider its wildly successful mark more a mask than its true face.

“If the story doesn’t hold up, the mark and the brand start to lose their luster,” says Brendán Murphy, senior partner at Lippinott, a brand management firm.

IBM – Simply Classic

In 1972, IBM ditched its original logo in favor of the symbol it has used ever since.

In an attempt to update its antiquated look — the old logo wrapped the words “International Business Machines” around an image of the globe — IBM tried two different block-letter logos before legendary branding designer Paul Rand created the current version.

In this modern design, the lines that make up the letters represent “speed and dynamism,” according to the company.

They owned the lines going through it before everyone started using lines,” Gardner says. And because of its simplicity and originality, “you have a hard time desiring to mess with it.”

Kraft Foods – Mismanaged and Indistinct

The association with fattening products like Kraft Macaroni & Cheese — and negative connotations stemming from its connection to tobacco conglomerate Philip Morris — tainted both Kraft’s corporate history and its logo. So it made sense that just under two years after Altria (formerly Philip Morris) spun off shares of Kraft to form a distinct company called Kraft Foods, the food giant would want to revamp its image.

But it wasn’t necessarily a success: While the slimmer styling suggests healthier products, many analysts consider the new logo, by Nitro design agency, a disaster. Introduced in February, it’s already been altered, with changes to both the location and shape of the ambiguous “flavor burst,” which evokes both butterflies and flowers.

“I don’t get a story from it,” Belk says. “The fact that they changed it twice in such a short period of time says that they’re not managing it very well. They’re not taking a strategic approach to it.” What’s more, the new logo bears an uncanny resemblance to Yoplait’s, which isn’t even a Kraft brand.

Procter & Gamble – No Devil Inside

The logo P&G used when it launched in 1851 pictured a man in the moon with 13 stars, representing the original American colonies — à la the original U.S. flag. But critics later claimed the stars connected to form “666″ and that the curls were in the shape of devilish sixes as well.

P&G chopped off the old man’s bearded curls in 1991, and then two years later, the company trashed the pictorial logo altogether for the simple initials it uses today. “While it’s unfortunate that they had to change for the reasons they did,” Murphy says, “I think the ‘P&G’ logo is a strong mark.”

Starbucks – Song of the Siren

Here’s one Starbucks concoction many hoped had disappeared a long time ago. The brown logo featuring a nude siren had been the company’s icon since 1971, when it was developed by Starbucks co-founder Terry Heckler.

In 1992, it was updated to the green logo used today, picturing a less exposed siren. But in May of last year, the brown logo — with the breasts covered — made a comeback for several months during a promotion. Even with the minor touch-up, the flashback was not met with much enthusiasm.The retro logo “goes from nostalgic to crude,” says Belk, whose opinion was shared by many.

UPS – Modern and Traditional

In 2003, as UPS moved into the digital age — from packaging and shipping to managing logistics, too — the company outgrew its 42-year-old iconic logo. Celebrated in the design community for its connection to legendary designer Rand, the original logo and its old-fashioned bow gestured to the company’s roots in neighborhood package delivery. “It had a humor and a humanity to it,” Murphy says.

But the new logo represents a strategic decision to emphasize UPS’s expanded business operations, and analysts also praised the company’s FutureBrand designers for nodding to UPS’s heritage by preserving the shield, keeping it lighthearted, and leveraging the color brown. “You would never think [brown] would be an asset,” Belk says, “but in their case, it is.”

Wal-Mart – Softening Its Image

Wal-Mart didn’t always make its employees as smiley as the happy face that rolled back prices on its commercials. “They were known as a heartless, soulless company that didn’t care about people — even their own people,” Belk says.

But Wal-Mart’s 2008 branding makeover by Lippicott produced a logo that now conjures up the image of an “inviting and accessible” store, explains Belk, rather than the “daunting and monolithic” one the old logo (in use since 1992) projected.

The redesign transformed the big-box store’s name to one word, used standard capitalization and a softer shade of blue, and added a yellow spark symbol. The new logo, like the company’s updated tagline — “Save Money. Live Better.” — invigorates the company with an “altruistic mission,” says Belk, as it expands its reach from rural America to an urban consumer.

Xerox – X Misses the Spot

It’s so painful for me to even look at that thing,” says Gardner about Xerox’s new logo, which the company unveiled last year. Xerox decided to lose its signature ‘X’ logo in hopes of changing its reputation for being just a copier and printing company as it increases its focus on software and services.

But analysts and customers have been critical of the redesign — Xerox’s biggest makeover in forty years. “The new logo is first and foremost a sphere…and the less obvious ‘X’ is almost an afterthought,” says Gardner. “Xerox owns the letter ‘X’ in the corporate world. Why would they want to bury the ‘X’ instead of making the most of it?”

The company stands behind its decision, however, saying in a press release that the new look is “more lively” and the ‘X’ in the ball represents the company’s connections to customers, partners, industry and innovation.

See more new logos — and their results — at Fortune.com

by Blake Ellis and Josh Glasser
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 provided by

(Credit: CNET)

If you are using a Windows machine or even a Mac running Windows in a virtual environment, you need to pay attention to security. At the very least, you should always have at least one program for each of the major security threats: antispyware, antivirus, and a software firewall (if you don’t already have a router-based firewall). Some antivirus suites have begun to include antispyware in their software, so if you have antivirus software, check to make sure you’re covered. But if you’re reading this and you don’t have software to cover these three areas, we strongly suggest you visit our Download Security Center and browse through each of the categories.

To get you started, we’ve rounded up the top free antispyware software options. Most of these programs offer a paid upgrade with added useful features, but we made sure to only pick software that followed through and removed spyware without the need to buy during the initial trial. It’s important to note that each of these programs has its own set of algorithms and different times they update their definitions, so we recommend using two antispyware programs to make sure you catch everything.

(Credit: CNET)

Spybot Search & Destroy was one of the first antispyware options available and it still is a fairly strong contender for finding threats. Other useful tools, including Secure Shredder, complement the program’s basic functionality for completely destroying files. The interface is pretty dated, but with all the added extras of this 100% free program, it’s worth a look.

(Credit: CNET)

Ad-Aware Anniversary Edition has been in the antispyware game for a long time as well. They have always been close to the top of our list for antispyware detection, but you’ll need to pay for added features like scheduling and shield-based protection. With several interface refinements, faster scanning times than previous versions, and numerous other enhancements, this might be the easiest-to-use Ad-Aware yet.

(Credit: CNET)

Spyware Terminator is a free option that offers an easy-to-understand interface and lets you schedule your scans for the time most convenient for you. The real-time protection for this program is stronger than most, but can get distracting as you’ll need to personally approve many actions. Fortunately, you can designate a lower level of protection to keep you safe without all the hand-holding. This is one of our favorites at Download.com for its relatively quick scan times, free real-time protection, and the ability to designate how deep of a scan you want to use.

(Credit: CNET)

CounterSpy makes it simple to schedule and customize spyware scans or run scans on demand, while also offering an adjustable level of real-time protection. Added features like a PC Explorer to browse running ActiveX controls and running processes are useful additions. This one offers a 15-day trial with which you’ll be able to remove threats found by CounterSpy, but you’ll need to pay to use this program regularly.

(Credit: CNET)

SuperAntiSpyware Free Edition, despite its rather uninventive name, is a solid antispyware program. This program offers a number of options for the types of files you want scanned. Like many of the programs listed here, you’ll need to pay for the full version of SuperAntiSpyware to unlock the ability to schedule your scans and use real-time protection.

(Credit: CNET)

Malwarebytes is our Editors’ Choice at Download.com so we recommend it as one of your choices in your antispyware arsenal. Scans are quicker than other programs in this category, and Malwarebytes is often able to distinguish between real threats and common false positives. You’ll also be able to scan individual files on demand and a handy File Assassin lets you delete locked malware files. You’ll need to pay to set up regularly scheduled scans and real-time protection, but with this solid program, registering is worth your money.

Topics:

Security and spyware, Utilities and drivers, Windows Software

Tags:

security, spyware, antispyware, malware, Spybot, search, destroy, Malwarebytes, Ad-aware, Spyware Terminatior, CounterSpy, SuperAntiSpyware, Malwarebytes

by Jason Parker

I just got a call from an old CS3 student who had just installed CS4 on his computer. “What’s with that gray scratch area outside of the Artboard?, he asked. “Is there a way to make the area outside my document white again? I find the gray distracting and could not find a preference to change it back,” he continued. I said, “There is an easy way to make your scratch area white again, but you won’t find it in Preferences. Just double click on the Artboard tool and uncheck ‘Fade region outside Artboard’ in the Global section and press OK. Your scratch area should bleach right out to white again.”

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Adobe® Certified Training Provider. AdobeAce@comcast.net

These are austere times, but the logos recently loaded onto LogoLounge.com – nearly 35,000 since 2008 – certainly do not reflect it. And that is how it should continue to be. Wary homage may be paid to marketing in lean times, but not to identity design. This are two wholly different efforts with different goals. It should set a long-term course for clients, not fall into pits carved out by economic phases.

The most recent uploads to the site still have a vibrancy of color and energy that bucks what in past years might have been considered proper corporate behavior. They set a very optimistic course.

This seventh annual trend report, as always, is as much a forecast as it is a study of the past 12 months. The past informs the future, and the recent past has such momentum that designers would be well-advised to stay this course, even when clients are only maintaining the brands they have, not creating new ones. Business may be slow, but it does not have to be dull.

In preparation for the fifth LogoLounge book, we studied and organized thousands upon thousands of new designs. As always, it’s exciting to see new directions emerging. These lead to even newer meanders and connections.

One such direction is that the use of type and text is clearly more critical. Words carry a more concise message. They convey specific rather than generic information.

The increased use of text in identity design takes several forms. A designer may choose to create a wordmark, but also include the mission statement or tagline in the design. Or, he may fill a shape or symbols with more words. People are busy; money is tight. Logos must be interpreted, and interpretation takes time. Words deliver their message immediately.

Another clear direction is the increased chroma of color. Everywhere, there is a brave use of hue, even in the most unexpected places, such as in the identities of very large and conservative clients.

There’s another very small item on the horizon that may have a gigantic effect on logo design in the future. When Google introduced its new favicon at the start of 2009, it was a very visible reminder of how powerful that tiny piece of real estate really is. The favicon may turn out to be a measuring stick against which the success of any new logo design might be measured – as in, can this logo be made to fit in a 15 x 15-pixel square?

The 15 trends that follow are not instructions, rules or indeed any finite accounting of all of the logo trends currently in motion. Many trends shared in previous reports are indeed still in motion.

These trends are offered as an objective report of the newest, most relevant directions. They should serve as traction in moving you forward in identity design. Revisit the full collection of the past six years’ worth of trends reports at LogoLounge.com for even more context.

PhotoFill

Photography is in no way new to visual branding, although traditionally images of this nature were iconic shots of a subject or a scene. Photo images have now partnered up and been hybridized with vector based images to create a new genre.

Technologically, this was an impractical union in years past. But the challenges of complicating an identity with a halftone image have for the most part now been put to rest. If AT&T and UPS can survive in the atmosphere of a halftone world, then why can’t the rest of us breathe the same air?

Often the photo serves as a background or fill in a graphic icon, though some examples have vector elements that merge into the halftone image. Think about logos that for years have been pumped full with graphic pattern. This is just a different fuel-a photo-with a higher octane.

1. El Paso, Galeria de Comunicacion, Lazar Greenhouses 2. TOKY Branding+Design, The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts 3. APSITS, DIESEL 4. Big Communications, Joe Muggs Coffee

Concealed

Every generation has its own find-the-hidden-image puzzle, whether it’s Highlights Magazine or “Where’s Waldo?”. There is a certain fascination and visceral excitement when the viewer suddenly finds an image he has been staring at for hours. Once you’ve found it, you can’t wipe your mind clean of it. This aha! moment is what creates the sense of ownership for the anyone who discovers the hidden level of meaning in any logo.

Ronald J. Cala II has developed a reputation for crafting compelling silhouette images such as the two young girls running hand-in-hand, a white dove formed by their clasped hands. Or Duffy Partners’ hidden gander and bass in the Tall Tales Cafe identity for Gander Mountain. Years ago, FedEx discovered that the hidden arrow in its logo caused consumers to become evangelical in pointing out the hidden imagery to others.

1. Calacampania Studios, Calagraphic Design 2. Duffy & Partners, Gander Mountain 3. The Bradfor Lawton Design Group, REOC 4. Felixsockwell.com, New York Times

VariDot

Spotting a logo composed of dots has never been an issue: There is no lack of marks that contain dots in rows or grids, or that blanket an image with a Benday halftone pattern. Finding a trend here means identifying dots with unique characteristics and understanding why they are carrying on the way they are. Last year’s Colorblind trend was easy to spot, but hard to explain. It may well have served as a launching point for this year’s trend.

Note that the dots in these logos rely on a high degree of randomness. They seem to revel in a lack of consistency of size or color. As opposed to previous years where the spots marched with conformity, these logos glorify individuality. But at the same time they still rely on linkage to create shape. Let the dots be roommates, just not good friends.

1. Alin Golfitescu, www.humanware360.com 2. Thread Design, Head Count Asia 3. Blue Sky Design, International Filter Solutions 4. Lippincott, Zonik

Candy Stripe

Like a stack of candy Necco Wafers or a row of crayons pushed together in no particular order, this trend has the scent of a fond childhood memory. Something playful and not terribly serious is taking place here. Multi-colored ribbons in broad hues are laid together to create a field that is highly vivid but which in no way approximates the orderly nature of a rainbow.

High chroma stripes serve as the backdrop, inserted in a vector-based silhouette, or they stand on their own as a cohesive group with a like mind and message. This riot of color seems to tweak its nose at the idea of a corporate color. Diversity reigns here. This is an all-out celebration of plurality, whether as an inspired political statement or just to promote a restaurant’s highly varied menu.

1. ORFIK DESIGN, DVA SA 2. Liquid Pixel Studio, Delectable Chocolate 3. juancazu, camara de comercio de bogota 4.dache, Zipliner

Texting

Text and icon combined effectively in a lock-up are nothing new. But now there’s a new breed afoot. A rash of logos have been launched with not only the name of an organization but at times, the mission statement, tag line, and even location knocked out of the background.

This simplified solution can make for an economy of space, but it can also create some challenges of scale. If the design is displayed large enough to read the type, will the icon become too horsy? If the icon is kept to appropriate scale, will the type disappear?

Copy is playing an even more important role than ever in several trends this year. There is a pleasant simplicity of message here that evokes an honest nature that borders on naive in a good way.

1. Chris Rooney Illustration/Design, Heavenly Ski Resort 2. Bryan Cooper Design, Tulsa Glassblowing Studio 3.Sussner Design Company, saint barts 4. GDNSS, cheapairlines.com

Encrust

“One of something ugly is ugly. Many of something ugly is beautiful.” This long-standing design adage comes to life with this trend. Sometimes you can max out embellishment to the point where the viewer is simply stupefied. These marks certainly grab the consumer’s eye with purposeful and symbolic texture that helps to finish the punch line of the logo.

Scale is critical to the success of this trend. Too small and textural messages will vanish, regardless of beauty. These are not filled with a traditional pattern but are often illustrated with a unique visual message that gives context and dimension to the shape. The eye can tell there is more than one layer to these marks and that always assures the second look.

1. Mattson Creative, Career Artist Management 2. cogu design, Yvonne Coutinho 3. Graphics & Designing Inc., MTK 4. Jobi, Sam and Shahir Ahmed

Monolgue

Words have new roles here, redefined as visuals that swim in neck-to-neck competition for consumers’ attention. When Landor redefined the YWCA logo four years ago, mission took top billing over the organization’ name and the whole affair was crafted from an inauspicious Helvetica with no adornment.

Powerful words carry great weight. When a democratic graphic vehicle can be used to allow the professionals and the layperson to create from the same system, the odds of the message effectively reaching the public are multiplied. Think of these systems as a series of parts and pieces designed to interlink in a relatively effortless manner. This unassuming solution removes the hands off nature that could thwart progress, especially in a public movement.

1. Airside, Airplot 2. Wolff Olins, Macmillan Cancer Support 3. Base, Greene Hill Food Co-op 4. Base, Greene Hill Food Co-op, Lockup Variation

Doily

Logos served up on a lace doily like delicate confections are the most recent variant on precious embellishment and floral tracery that have been sited in trends from years past. The fine fretwork serves to create a gentle cocoon around a typically hard graphic center. The core is usually a letter form or symbol, kept straightforward with an encapsulating explosion of silhouette lace.

The dichotomy of harsh and fine balance the message of a solid entity with an approachable personality. Though this is an extension of previous trends which also expressed human tenderness and fragility, the continued use of these dainty silhouette is growing thin. The difference here seems to be the marriage between geometric pattern and organic embellishment.

1. Iperdesign, Inc., splurge dessert 2. R&R Partners, Harrah’s 3. Diagram, Eligiuz 4. Gesture Studio, Isaias Gil

Flip Flop

In a year with the cinematic release of Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons.” expect an expanded appreciation and interest in inversion solutions. The veteran designer John Langston was contacted by the author and commissioned to create art for several words that would read the same right side up or upside down. This art was key to the storyline, and the bestseller has reintroduced this concept to the public.

There is an indefinable magic that occurs when a consumer sees art that only has to make half a rotation to apparently return to its point of origin. Some of these solutions work with a mirrored reflection, while others are only partial inversions. Whichever way they are designed, that rotating axis becomes the device that creates participation by the consumer and that builds an affinity with the brand.

1. MINEâ„¢, Scheyer/SF 2. Pearson Education Ltd, Pearson Education 3. NOT A CANNED HAM, Graco 4. Roy Smith Design, Shaun Saxon Photography

Mosaic

E pluribus unum: “Out of many, one.” This motto helps define these brilliant color mosaics. They are like a roomful of diverse pixels pushed together so tightly that there is no room for a line of division. Adjacent colors simply merge together at their shared borders to fill a shape that helps define the visual message. Traditionally a problem for any logo that anticipated living in a black and white application, this challenge becomes a point of celebration.

Not so many years ago, in 2003, Altria’s multi-colored square grid logo broke ground for this trend. At the time, much was made of the designs inability to be cost-effectively reproduced in diverse print applications. Technology changes and the increased importance of an RGB environment for many companies has led to a reevaluation of reproduction concerns and a resurgence of this concept.

1. Team Y&R, Khalid Bin Haider Group 2. Kommunikation & Design, Gartenwelt Manz 3. dache, webmynd 4. NATIONAL Public Relations, Greater Montreal

Sequential

Economies, governments, and individuals continue to call for “greater transparency” in society. No longer a cry limited to the financial sector, industry is Bristol-scrubbing themselves and their products in preparation for full-body inspections. Though this is not a literal request for visual transparency, for several years, designers have taken liberties with the concept to deliver metaphoric solutions that consumers understand.

Depicting motion in sequential steps combined with transparency is the latest iteration to branch out from this trend family. Stop-motion pictoral steps created in clear, shifting colors help define process in a single un-animated image. The introduction of sequential color steps help to further define the concept by demonstrating movement: time passage through seasons, temperature shifts, or just a rainbow-colored transition that demonstrates order and harmony, not chaos.

1. Gardner Design, BiTemp 2. RedBrand, LexPro 3. metaforma design, RACE research for an alternative and clean energy 4. Schwartzrock Graphic Arts, Design Center

Recycle

Sustainability is no longer a corporate mantra to appease customers or the public. For a decade or better, companies have professed an allegiance to the cause and made every attempt to keep policy and practice as green as possible. An ever greater segment of associations and industry are emerging with sustainability as the business, not just a byproduct.

The Universal Recycling Symbol, created 40 years ago for the Container Corporation of America, has graced products and corporate literature for years. Slowly these symbols have been on an upward pilgrimage from the bottom of a container to the priciest real estate on the package face.

This three arrow recycled symbol is in the public domain but now has graduated and is being redressed as the logo itself. Design varies as dramatically: The arrows might be filled with pattern relevant to the industry, or the arrows might be replaced with the environmentally conscious product. Reuse of this symbol as a logo proves the designers have truly mastered the art of recycling.

1 .rylander design, Refabric, Inc. 2. Tyme Inc., Office Depot 3. BrandBerry, non-commercial 4. Kevin France Design, Inc., VF corp

Dandelion

Though you may well curse and despise the dandelion, there is little denying the weed’s prodigious ability to propagate. A single dandelion produces hundreds of parachute-wearing seeds just waiting for the slightest wisp of wind to launch a full -scale invasion. Despite understanding the insidious process all too well, who has never picked one of these tantalizing puffballs, blown and launched 100 more weeds.

It is our affinity with this process that makes this iconic symbol a perfect logo solution. The seed ball is visually striking and easily understood, especially with a few rogue parachutes in departure. The process is so analogous to the propagation of an idea that it can’t be contained. The single drifting seed embodies the idea that every seed makes it’s own unique journey and relies on the will of nature to determine where it will land and grow. Graphically, the ball is so ubiquitous that interpretation can be wide and, by no means, literal: It sells the idea of freedom.

1. Ulyanov Denis, linkeeper 2. RedBrand, Barberschool 3. LaMonica Design, Morningstar Communications 4. Courtney & Company, IMC Group

Circulate

Circles are simply the building blocks and mortar of design. Symbolically, they are the perfect multipurpose icon, representing everything from eternity, the cycle of life, the earth, centering and balance, perfection, the wheel and motion, and whatever else you may need to define. This utility player aspect also detracts from the pure circle: In attempting to mean everything to everyone, it can also mean nothing to anyone.

For these reasons, it is unusual to find the humble circle investigating new visual territory. These circles, however, are focused on the depiction of transition. Whether through the animated cycling of color rotation, as in the Moving Brands solution for MindShare, or as in the static color transition created for MTK, cycles and motion are the given here. But the star of this trend is that the process of evolution does not disturb the revolution.

1. Porkka & Kuutsa Oy, Central Union of Agricultural Producers & Forest Owners 2. FutureBrand, MasterCard Worldwide 3. Moving Brands, Mindshare 4.Gardner Design, PBA Architects

Gossamer

Evolution is perhaps most dramatic when two species jump the barriers and create a new line. Two previous trend categories, Transparent logos and Blur logos, have both been recorded and broken into subsets over the last several years as they have evolved. Here the two merge successfully to demonstrate motion or convey the blending of elements.

Transparency still delivers the dictum that a process is open to the public and nothing is obscured. It also continues to be novel enough to consumers that it plays a pretty important role as eye candy. The blur or out-of-focus edge in these marks works in a similar fashion as an optical illusion that is confrontational to the eye and has to be dealt with.

1. Michael Freimuth Creative, Tone Animation, LLC. 2. Roy Smith Design, Hooke Laboratories 3. Roman Kotikov, Soft cafe 4. Alin Golfitescu, mobilink pakistan

Minor Trends

Some categories emerged this year that did not qualify for their own lanes, but which are still worthy of mention.

	Peepshow: Halftone imagery is increasingly being used for fill inside of vector images instead of solid color fill. Wrijfhout, Clq.nl – City of Delft
	Psychosis: Another new sort of fill is more psychedelic-crazy lines and patterns projected onto other shapes. Valhalla | Design & Conquer , Adio Shoes
	Embroidery: There’s plenty of what could be called dotted line or stitching at work. Either approach produces a sense of the hand-made. Squires and Company, Chico’s
	Stained Glass: Imagine a stained glass window, but turn the lead white: That sort of mosaic of color is taking shape. R&R Partners, Harrah’s
	3D Curls: We’re still seeing plenty of 3-D ribbons, although these are a departure from the “cause” ribbons that have been so prevalent of late. These ribbons take on new forms and shapes, like letters or a complete logo. Gardner Design , Surency
	Color Ring: Think of a series of brightly colored, transparent rings, loosely layered on each other to create porthole of many colors. Martin Jordan , Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports Brandenburg
	Celtic: Highly geometric yet handcrafted forms are appearing. Like Celtic letterforms or knots, they have nodules and serifs that are unique and have flourish, but which are also refined. These have a wonderful balance between the manufactured and the man-made. Karl Design Vienna, Burmahlife Austria

Bill Gardner is principal of Gardner Design and creator of LogoLounge.com, a unique web site where, in real-time, members can post their logo design work; study the work of others; search the database by designer’s name, client type, and other attributes; learn from articles and news written expressly for logo designers; and much more. Bill can be contacted at bill@logolounge.com.

2009 Logolounge Inc.