Graphic Designers and Creativity  by Cheryl Aronson

A. Major sites

http://www.crumpledpapers.com
Bobbie Osborne is the "boz" of this site. And she has cool graphics/fonts. A wonderful, eclectic journal with inspirational writing, stories and poems. It includes a teen-zine, recipes, vintage e-greetings quotes of the day, and coffee break inspirations. A great site for anyone" Who needs to take a break from staying up all night, drinking coffee and working on the project." She encourages consuming M&M's as though I needed the prompt) though they were not listed as a sponsor. Crumpled papers has paper facts and ideas, and 'How' Magazine listed them as a very must see inspirational site.

http://www.goateestyle.com
I bumped into this one on accident after going into 'Soul of the web." http://www.souloftheweb.com Goatee was quirky, somewhat alternative and fun. "Not just for beatniks anymore". They feature profiles on "real designers", chat and newsletter, graphics/fonts, a great journal and all kinds of great links to other designers, their work, and what makes them tick. They have a great scene section. I liked the quotes and day in the life stories.

http://www.internetbrothers.com
A great site by two brothers Dave and Jeff. Their own stories are interesting and inspiring. They talk about their favorite designers, links, work and include their travel pictures, graphics/fonts and a great digerati section. The interviews are fun too. Wacky facts and quotes such as, "In Kentucky it is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket."

B. The sites I chose for articles were:

http://digitaldivas.com/zine/articles.html
Wonderful site. It included graphics, articles, guide to education, employment, online courses, buying a digital camera, (stuff we have covered in this class). Site had spunk and very organized. The article I chose was "Going Pro" at: http://digitaldivas.com/zine/03-00art/kaminsky.html This article by Faith Kaminsky covered everything the freelancer/developer, or wanting to go solo designer should know, such as portfolios, budgets, handling clients, and surprise, people skills! (something a lot of webbies think they can go without). Wrong!

http://www.grownmencry.com/michelle/sheep.html
A former Netscape employee that has been "dotcommed" has a terrific, and humorous site. Featuring helpful employment tips, creative tips and how-to's, web development, and of course her own inspirational stories such as how to thrive and survive in the business, and others she has collected.

C. So many newsgroups, so little time. I chose INK. Go to:

http://www.yahoo/graphicdesignabout.com/arts/graphicdesign/impchat.htm.
A useful and inspirational group of designers, with little flaming going on. Discuss questions, challenges and even lifestyle issues. Signing up is easy, click on the above url, and sign in, give e-dress and there is a place that lead you through it.

D. Software. Surprisngly (?) I found no software on my particular subject, alas. If only Zig Ziglar had been a designer!

I did come across great graphic/font software, but the thing I found most inspirational was that each site I explored pointed out that my browser was indeed antiquated. I needed to upgrade.Also, I found that I needed flash, which has scripting capabilities, web interfaces, presentaions, animations, web site and training courses.
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/

E. I used good ol' Yahoo! As my search engine and had no problems….almost!

http://www.yahoo.com
Since my topic was sort of generic, though important! I thought Yahoo which is sort of generic would best fit.

Some other fun sites are:

http://eyebalm.com/eyeblog/fonts/graphics/creativeblock.
Fun site, with help for those suffering from creative block.

http://www.coolstop.com/jenett/webthings
Another inspiring site and interview with designer

http://www.freeagent.com

http://www.guru.com

http://www.astoundingweb.org

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