Gag Me With a Logo

Posted on October 10, 2009 by jeff

You know how bad it is when you see Microsoft Office clip art logos on the sides of trucks? It can get worse than that. Much worse. Really. I found the proof at YourLogoMakesMeBarf.com.

The Web site is a collection of some of the absolute worst logo designs ever, all on display for your morbid viewing curiosity. Clip art out of control, color disasters, and fonts gone wild — typically all in the same logo.

Jay Nelson and I spent a few minutes talking about the site on the Design Tools Weekly podcast, too. Feel free to point your Web browser over there and take a listen.

Sweet Baby Jeebus, please make it stop.

Sure, I’m poking fun at the atrocities gracing the site’s pages, but it’s also a great place to learn what not to do when designing a logo. The bottom line is if you aren’t a professional designer you probably shouldn’t create your company’s logo, and you can see exactly why by browsing through the gems highlighted at YourLogoMakesMeBarf.com.

Apps, Apps, Apps, iPhone, Apps

Posted on October 7, 2009 by jeff

I survived the wonderful California wine country weather during the Macintosh Computer Expo, and it looks like everyone survived my iPhone app presentation, too. I covered a ton of apps in an amazingly short amount of time, which means most people couldn’t write their notes fast enough keep up. Not to worry, I put the entire frakking list online.

You can check out everything I mentioned during my presentation over at The Mac Observer, complete with prices and iTunes Store links. Just trying to make your life a little easier.

If you weren’t at the event, sorry I missed you. It was a kick in the pants and there were plenty of really cool people to hang out with. Also, I totally scored an Atomic Love Bombs CD. Life is good.

October 3: Macintosh Computer Expo

Posted on September 25, 2009 by jeff

I’ll be packing up and heading to northern California at the beginning of October to speak at the Macintosh Computer Expo about how to make your iPhone do more for you. Because, really, after all you spent on your iPhone it should earn its keep. And iPod touch owners? Yeah, I’ll have some tips and tricks for you, too.

I’m going to show how to protect your personal information, share stuff with friends online, and show you which apps can help keep your life organized. There’s some fun apps for artists on my list, and I’ll show iPod touch owners how to turn their handheld into an Internet phone.

Interested in making your own music? Cool, because I have some tips on using your iPhone or iPod touch as a musical instrument, too.

As if that isn’t enough, The Mac Observer is exhibiting at the event, so I’ll be hanging on the expo floor with Bryan Chaffin, too. If you aren’t familiar with Bryan, you should be. He’s part of the foundation of TMO and writes some amazingly insightful industry analysis pieces. He’s also part of the uber-cool rock band, The Atomic Love Bombs.

Be sure to stop by our booth and say “Hi.” Of course, we’ll give you a little extra incentive to drop by in the form of some kick ass prizes we’ll be giving away throughout the day.

Clear your schedule for Saturday, October 3, because the expo runs from 10AM to 5PM pacific time. It’s at the Petaluma Community Center in Petaluma, California. You can find out more at the North Coast Mac User Group Web site.

Oh yeah… Here’s a shameless plug for The Atomic Love Bombs: They rock, and you should really support independent bands. You can buy their album at the iTunes Store, or at their Web site. Hop to it.

Tech Pillows: For Your Sleepy Inner Nerd

Posted on August 20, 2009 by jeff

OK, I just want to make sure everyone understands right up front that I don’t have some kind of pillow fetish just because I happen to come across cool stuff that so happens to be, well, pillow shaped. That said, how can you possibly resist something as cool as your own RSS pillow, or maybe your own Mac app pillow set?

The brilliantly talented crew at Throwboy turned Mac application icons — along with the standard RSS badge — into sweet pillowy goodness. They recreated the Finder, iTunes, iChat, iPhoto, Photo Booth and Dashboard all in fleece so you can snuggle up with your favorite app even when your Mac isn’t on the couch with you.

But wait! There’s more! Along with the RSS pillow, they also have a series of chat bubble pillows with classic sayings like “OMG,” FML,” and my favorite, “wtf.”

Each pillow will set you back $29, or you can choose any six for $149. I’m already eyeing the RSS pillow. And maybe the Finder. OK, and “wtf,” too. Oh, man… FML.

August 4: Talking Fonts at IDUG

Posted on August 2, 2009 by jeff

The Denver InDesign User Group asked me to come talk about fonts at their August meetings, so of course I agreed. Let’s just call this little presentation “The Secret Lives of Fonts.”

If that’s not enough to pique your interest, how about if I mention that I’ll be talking about font management, the differences between font formats, ways to help avoid font-related headaches, why a puppy dies every time someone designs a document with Comic Sans, and more.

The Denver InDesign User Group meeting starts at 6PM mountain time on Tuesday, August 4 in the Snowy Peaks Room at Front Range Community College. If you don’t know how to get there, directions to the event are available at the InDesign User Group Web site.

The kicker? The group meets up after their user group event at a local pub. Socializing, design talk, and Guinness. What more could you ask for?