A popular program’s icon is something that you probably interact with on a daily basis, so it’s always interesting to get into the mind of an icon designer to see just what decisions they’re making during their design process.
Sebastiaan de With is the man behind the new icon for Flow (an FTP client for the Mac that is heavy on both form and function) and his work is fantastic.
The end result is a swirl (or is it a flow) of colors that grabs the eye and demands clickage, but the steps that he takes to get to that end result are what’s interesting.
Today is Blog Action Day, which means that fifteen thousand blogs with a combined total of twelve million readers are going to be publishing posts about the environment.
Since I’m always down to support a good cause, I’m going to participate by giving you DYH’s Simple Rule To Live By: Do Something.
Being green doesn’t have to be a life changing decision. You don’t need to sell your car and buy a Prius; you don’t need to sell your Prius and buy a bike; and you certainly don’t need to recycle your bike and start walking everywhere; you just need to do something.
That’s because I believe that if everyone did something, then everything would change.
Why?
Because even small changes can make a difference.
Change a few light bulbs. Take a shorter shower. Recycle more. Drive less.
There are a million different things that you can do, so you just need to start doing them.
The key is to start small.
Soon, that single bulb will turn into a home full of CFLs, that shorter shower will turn into thousands of gallons of saved water, and that parked car will turn into a healthier you.
So just remember: Don’t try to change the world by yourself; just do something, and the world will follow.
Changing a logo can be a big decision. Companies rely on their logo for brand recognition, so when they decide to change things around a bit, it better be for a good reason.
Unfortunately, not every company grasps the importance of this decision. Instead, they often take a perfectly good logo, and ruin it in the name of change.
Take a look at Under Consideration, and their collection of the best and worst logo remakes. You’ve got to wonder who gave the go ahead for some of these.
Last week’s Stockpile Saturday was a success, so this week, I’m bringing you 20 more links that I’ve been saving for some time now. Enjoy.
The Amateur Gourmet is a great food blog that does the occasional review in comic book style. It’s a refreshing look at alternative ways of displaying content.
Locksport International has put together a Guide To Lock Picking that serves as the perfect primer for anyone that’s looking to get into the sport. It’s done in graphic novel form, and gives great step-by-step information about lock picking, re-pinning, making tools, and more.
Jeff Thomas loves Nixie tubes (glass tubes that are filled with gas and can display numerals or other information). Most people are content with clocks that feature the technology, but Jeff wanted a watch, so he designed his own. Sadly, he only made 20, and they’re already sold out, but hopefully another company picks up where Jeff left off.
Extra Tasty is a site devoted to inebriation, thought the design is clearly attributed to the more sober, as drink recipes, drink possibilities, tips and tricks, and a soothing color scheme are all easy to access. Get your buzz on.
Su Blackwell cuts amazing sculptures right out of the pages of well-known books. Each design ties into the plot, and the results bring the story to life.
Toss ‘N’ Track is a Frisbee that can be tracked on the Internet. Each disc has a unique number printed on it, and after playing with it for a while, you simply toss it in the disc’s intended direction, and let someone else find it. They can then log the disc into the site, and you can see how far it travels.
Steve ‘The Grape Guy’ Spalding is currently The World’s Fastest Grape Catcher with his record 67 grapes in one minute from 15 feet. And you thought your talent was worthless.
Reuters has an amazing video of the current world record for most dominoes toppled, 4,079,381, being set by an international team of 90 builders from 13 countries. I’ll bet they were glad no one sneezed.
My Monopoly lets you create your own unique and personalized Monopoly game. You can choose a theme, and then add your own names to all of your favorite places. Want to call Boardwalk ‘Your Mom’? Go ahead, the world is yours.
Evere wonder what words your bartender hates hearing? Thankfully, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bartender extraordinaire, has created a list of the Eight Things You Should Never Say To Your Bartender. If you want to get served up right, make sure you follow the list.
9 to 5 Paintings record what you do on your computer during the day and turn it into art. The site gives examples of the final result, as well as a tutorial for setting up your own double mouse feature so that you can make 9 to 5s of your own.
If you’re a blog writer, there’s no better place to go for advice than ProBlogger; which is why the list of ProBlogger’s best posts for 2006 is an indispensable resource for all online authors.