Visual comparison between Chicago and New York

So I found this awesome poster that shows a visual comparison between Chicago and New York. It's very well designed and colorful, making it attractive to read. Check out the image:

Advertising as a Superhero

Being a graphic designer and all, I thought this was an interesting read on how advertising saved Pixar (in the early days) as well as how it has become embedded in the art world.

Is the Internet really unsafe?!

I found this blog a few days ago and thought the author raises some good points in reference with the internet as a risky learning resource. Sure we've all heard of the dangers of the internet: gambling, porn, stalkers, trolls, etc. But our culture is constantly evolving, where people are accessing information as much as possible from almost anything. It's kinda freaky to think that we as a society are collecting information so fast that I begin to wonder if we'll become "the collective" (reference to Borgs from Star Tek - yea I'm a treky ✌). However with proper internet etiquette (netiquette) and moderate access for younger students, we don't have to live in fear from the WWW. The internet will always be a vast unknown for the new but with some helpful guidance the net won't be a scary place as most will think.

Hardcore Photoshop work

Found this cool video of an artist making the alphabet with 114 photoshop files. Yes that's right, 114 files:


114.psd Type from Emilio Gomariz on Vimeo.

My Thesis 2 Playlist

I posted this on my Ning page and thought I'd share it here on my Cyberped blog. This is another handy website called Grooveshark (free!). I made this playlist after attending our first Thesis 2 workshop this week:


My Thesis 2 Mix - Vol 1

1. Monday Morning - Melanie Fiona
2. Workin' for a Living - Huey Lewis and the News
3. Bad Day - Fuel
4. Respect - Aretha Franklin
5. Time - Hootie and the Blowfish
6. Don't You Worry About A Thing - Stevie Wonder
7. Who Needs Sleep? - Barenaked Ladies
8. Maniac - Michael Sembello
9. Faith - Limp Bizkit (R rated)
10. Drive - Incubus
11. Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
12. Sweet Home Chicago - The Blues Brothers

Digital Media - New Learners Of The 21st Century

So I have a twitter account and the main purpose is to get information on the latest design issues and news, whether it's the latest environmental problem to solving the aesthetic function of a product. I almost didn't get Twitter since I didn't want to be into this new web 2.0 too much. Yet I was forced (literally) after attending a user interface conference. There I discovered that contacts can be shared via Twitter accounts and streaming, or tweets, of information viewed by many. I was hooked.

Recently I just found a tweet regarding the same issues and practically the same project as my thesis. PBS is showing a program this Sunday, February 13th. Although the difference between my research is that I'm focusing on college/university level while I assume this will focus on K-12. Definitely must check out! Thank goodness for Twitter.

Cartooning & Humor by Liza Donnelly

I found a CNN article about Liza earlier this week and just recently found an interesting TED talk about the power of cartoons and humor as a woman in this day and age. It's a great perspective about women today and the culture we live in like social media and stereotypes:

• Liza Donnelly: Drawing up humor for change (TED)
• Cartooning has been my Savior (CNN)

Designing a Carbon Footprint

I found an interesting quote clip from my usual Graphic Design USA email newsletter. Kinda makes me reflect about excess stuff we print & advertise:

For a company [Starbucks] that has a large portion of their website devoted to promoting the claim that they’re very environmentally aware and making constant efforts to reduce their footprint through methods including recycling, constructing “green” buildings and ethically sourcing their coffee sources, what does it mean to add up the countless building signs, road signs, printed items for every product they carry, window graphics, gift cards, etc. that are all going to have to be re-made, re-printed and shipped to every corner of the globe? It means a pretty deep carbon footprint.

— Freelance Writer Tara Alley who promotes green coffee and coffeemakers for Coffee Home Direct.