It’s probably one of the questions I get asked most when I give talks or attend seminars, “What do I have to do to become a designer”.

There is no easy answer to this question, I have interviewed people that have taken the traditional route through education and not employed them as I didn’t consider them to be designers, they had the knowledge but not the skill.

I have however employed people with no formal design qualifications, and indeed little knowledge of operating the, dare I say, stock design software, who, with some training have become amazingly creative designers. I am lucky enough to be still working with some of them years later.

So back to the burning question…

Over this series I hope to investigate some of the elements that may help along the rocky path to working in the design industry, I can’t profess to be able to make you a designer, but I’ll try to help.

Equipment

As the saying goes, ‘Horses for Courses’. As in any trade or hobby personal preference rules, there is also the small matter of budget. These are my unashamed personal choices and are based on equipment I actually own.

Hardware

iMac 27” – 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache; Turbo Boost dynamic performance up to 3.46GHz; Hyper-Threading for up to eight virtual cores.

I use mine daily and nothing phases it. I undertake all types of work from traditional graphic design to 3D CGI. This Mac is allegedly the fastest Apple produce at the moment, even out performing a Mac Pro.

MacBook Pro 13” – 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 processor with 3MB shared L3 cache; or 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache.

I use this for taking to clients and demoing work, showing our portfolio, attached to a projector for exhibitions and allowing me to work whilst lounging around in odd places.

Some people suggest that you really shouldn’t go for anything smaller than a 15” screen, but I have found that in reality 13” is big enough for working and presenting and is really portable.

iPhone – Ok so I’m looking like an Apple fanboy at this point, and yes, I guess I am, but the products really work for me.

The screen is big enough to show elements of your portfolio at the drop of a hat. The camera is good enough for reference shots (on my 3GS, the version 4 looks exceptional with 7mp). I can pick up my email and react to it from anywhere which has made it worth it’s monthly outlay so many times, ensuring that I have won contracts and again allowing me to be anywhere whilst appearing to be in the studio.

Graphics Tablet – I have a Wacom

Not essential but it makes graphic manipulation so much easier, particularly photo editing. It also allows me to sketch ideas directly on the screen instead of having to scan paper sketches.

Digital SLR – I have a Canon 350D

My Canon is very much an entry level model and is actually getting quite old now but I still manage to satisfy clients with shots for websites and even brochure work.

This list is by no means exhaustive or essential, but it is the kit I work with on a daily basis and may give you an insight into the designers hardware toolbox. I would actually find it quite hard to work without these tools in some kind of format.

Next time ‘Software’…

When the site was displayed using the .com domain it threw up an invalid api key error.

Here is the fix:

Some applications may be hosted on multiple domains. For example, many content management systems push the same content to different domains (e.g.example.com and example.net) and wish to have that content single-sourced. Since Google Maps API keys are generated per domain, you’ll need to generate separate keys for each domain and configure your application to use the correct one. The easiest way to do this in JavaScript is to dynamically generate the 

tag using 

and assigning the correct domain-specific key within the src attribute’s URL as a parameter. In doing so, you’ll need to pre-generate and hardcode the list of keys within your application.

Create an object which contains a mapping between domain names and its corresponding Google Maps API keys. Use 

to retrieve the domain name your application is running against, and pass it into the object to select the appropriate key.

Below is a JavaScript snippet you can copy and paste into your application. Replace property names labeled 

on the left with your list of domains and assign to each entry its corresponding and unique Google Maps API key.

When using the snippet above, be sure to include it within your HTML document above any script tags or JavaScript containing references to Google Maps API objects.

There has been an upsurge in the innovative use of vinyl recently, not least for laptop customisation. Taking that one step further Hu2 Design have created some amazing avant garde  interior design elements using die cut vinyl.

They have just about every room in the house covered and the art is not just decorative but useful too, from eco reminders to directional signage.

Anyone who has ever tried knows just how hard it is to make a one colour design work and be instantly understood, the guys at Hu2 have managed this feat with aplomb. The designs are not just quirky but classy too, and probably won’t date too quickly, the great thing is that if you get tired of them the vinyl’s are completely removable. You just need to scratch a corner and then peel it off.

They should definitely be considered vector art masters.

The founder and originator of the Hu2 design collective originally from Paris, Antoine has worked in Miami and London for the past few years.

Known as a Designer, Antoine wanted to deliver a product and service that was born out of the creativity and talent of those employed by and affiliated with Hu2 Design. A way for people to come together, present their ideas and have the opportunity to develop them in a truly collaborative environment.

Some examples of the stickers can be seen below.

For more information and mode designs go to – www.hu2.com

It’s an easy-to-use app dedicated to providing a full suite of copyright solutions, from registration to management.

Myows has been created for designers, photographers, bloggers, writers, musicians and anyone who creates copyrightable work.

All in one place, online, for free: www.myows.com

• Assists in securing the removal of unauthorised copy(s) of your work on- and off-line.
• Provides access to a growing pool of copyright-related knowledge and resources.
• Helps you keep track of permissions granted and active cases.
• Provides you with deterrence measures including custom warning graphics.
• Lets you store, view and manage your protected works in one place, online.
• Creates valuable evidence of your copyright.
• Presents the opportunity to become part of a global IP-savvy community.
• Proves the exact dates on which you uploaded your files, down to the minute.

I have been a champion of this great original idea since it’s inception, it’s what the design has been needing for some time. In fact my design agency (Cocoa Media) even gets a mention on the home page..

Oh and if you are wondering the great MyOws character was designed and rendered by the amazing Vonster – http://www.vonglitschka.com/

Who should use Myows?
Photographers, writers, designers, artists, journalists, bloggers – anybody who has created an original work and therefore has a copyright (owns intellectual property).

How do I copyright my work?
You automatically have copyrights in any original work you produce but the onus is on you to prove that you are the creator (which is where Myows will help you).

Is Myows just for professionals?
No. Myows is for anyone who creates something original that they want to claim ownership of. You have copyright in your original works – you just need to protect it.

What is an original work?
Original works are anything you create that are not copies of something else and have been ‘reduced to material form’ (meaning they’re not just an idea).

How does Myows help me to avoid expensive legal battles?
Uploading your work to myows provides you with evidence as well as a deterrence measure designed to prevent theft. The site will also assist you in contacting unauthorised users of your work and is able to provide verifiable third-party evidence on your behalf, at your request.

How much does it cost to have a Myows account?
It is our vision to provide copyright protection and management at no cost to freelancers, creative individuals and smaller companies. For corporate users and larger accounts there will be a small fee depending on the amount of storage space used. We’re looking at the possibility of tiered accounts for those users who exceed their storage limits but more about that at a later date!

What storage capacity does Myows provide?
During beta testing, the free account limit is 500MB (this may change for new users as we get a better idea of usage patterns and user-needs). If you’re running out of space, drop us a mail at support@myows.com and we’ll see what we can do to help you out.

Exactly what kind of files can I upload to Myows?
Images (.jpg | .gif | .png | .bmp | .tif | etc.)
video ( .mov | .avi | etc.)
sound ( .mpg |. mp3 | etc.)
text ( .doc | plain text)
vector files ( .ai | .id | etc.)
html files
animations ( .fla | .swf )
code
presentations
… pretty much any kind of file you can think of!

Who can access my Myows account or view my work/information
Only you can (using your unique username and self-generated or system-generated password), unless you give someone else permission to see your files.

Where can I access my myows account from?
Anywhere in the world, as long as you are online.

What do I do if I find that someone has stolen my Original Work?
You open a case on myows which will then guide you through the necessary steps typically required to resolve the matter and any related disputes.

How secure are Myows’ servers?
Very secure. As an additional safety measure, all information is backed up on a second set of remote servers which are located in another part of the world.

How long will my files stay on Myows’ servers?
For as long as your account remains open and active (Free accounts must be accessed at least once every 2 months). Paid accounts must be settled on a monthly basis.

Is it really impossible for anybody to alter the date on an uploaded file?
Yes, not even the team at Myows can alter the date of upload of your files, The unique hash value internally assigned to each file provides additional tamper proof evidence linking the file to the date of upload.

Can Myows keep me informed of activity on my account?
Yes Myows will send you mails notifying you of your account activity if you elect to activate this feature (NB: this feature will soon be deployed). Remember though that you can simply log on at any time to view your most recent activity.

Will Myows warn me if somebody has copied my work or uploaded similar work?
Not yet. But we hope soon to be able to assist you in combing the net for unauthorized copies of your work.

For now, we’d definitely recommend trying out TinEye (for pics), Copyscape (for text) or Fairshare (for RSS feeds) to find your work online.

Can I modify files that I’ve already uploaded?
No, the files that you upload are non-modifiable. You can only delete them and, if necessary, replace them with newer versions.

What’s to stop someone uploading copied work to their Myows account?
Nothing. But if disputed, the original creator would simply have to prove that they had the work before the date that the copier uploaded the work to myows. That way they can prove their copyright and disprove the uploading party’s claim.

Of course, if the original creator also has a myows account, that’ll be very easy! (Just remember to always upload your creations timeously)

Will Myows send any legal letters on my behalf?
No, but we will provide you with great legal templates and will even fill them in for you using the information you supply. Myows will however send proof of your uploaded work and related date to third parties upon your request.

Will Myows assist me in finding a lawyer if I ever need one?
We are building a global database of good Myows-friendly lawyers to assist in this regard.

When will Myows be available in other languages?
We hope to have Myows available in Mandarin, French and Spanish some day soon.

TinEye is a reverse image search engine.

You can submit an image to find out where it came from, how it is being used, if modified versions of the image exist, or to find higher resolution versions.

TinEye is the first image search engine on the web to use image identification technology rather than keywords, metadata or watermarks.

For some real TinEye search examples, check out their Cool Searches page.

There are many uses for TinEye, but here are a few:

• Find out where an image came from, or get more information about it
• Research or track the appearance of an image online
• Find higher resolution versions of an image
• Locate web pages that make use of an image you have created
• Discover modified or edited versions of an image

TinEye was created by Idée Inc. Idée develops advanced image identification and visual search software for photo wire agencies, stock photography firms, entertainment media companies and some of the world’s leading imaging firms including Adobe Systems Inc.

Founded in September 2006, Smashing Magazine delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. Our aim is to inform our readers about the latest trends and techniques in Web development.

We try to convince you not with the quantity but with the quality of the information we present. We hope that makes us different. Smashing Magazine is, and always has been, independent.

Perhaps the most remarkable yet overlooked aspect of the design community is its friendly, enthusiastic spirit. Every day, literally thousands of talented, hard-working folks out there gain new insight from their work, come up with brilliant ideas and then share their experience with fellow designers.

Nourished by the gratitude of its benefactors and powered by the reach of social networking, this community has produced a wide variety of high-quality articles, resources and tools, available to everybody. Every single contribution supports the entire community, and the community supports these contributors with traffic and word-of-mouth advertising: the networking effect at its best.

Check it out here: www.smashingmagazine.com

blownpixel.co.uk has no affiliation with Smashing Magazine

via – Graham Smith at ImJustCreative