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September Desktop Calendar
September 3, 2008 at 12:00 pm by AbleMy apologies for being a bit tardy on this month's desktop calendar. I was out all last week for a family emergency. I am back now, and with a bright, bold September desktop. School is also back in session for many of you, and Newfangled wishes you the best of luck! Here's something for your new MacBook and iPhone (Zdenko).
Three sizes available this month:
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Tags: Univers iphone design wallpaper download calendar typography desktop
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August Desktop Calendar (For iPhone Too)
July 31, 2008 at 3:00 pm by AbleWith not much time to spare before the end of the month I bring you the August desktop calendar. Simplicity is key. I hope you enjoy it! Three sizes available this month: |
Tags: design courier download wallpaper calendar typography desktop
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Great Use of Mac Applications
July 9, 2008 at 5:00 pm by Able| Yes, I am aware of the absurdity of the title of this post, but you have to admit that Apple has lapped the competition as far as the beauty of it's interface. Below is a music video made entirely from OS X. I'm interested in how long it took to develop! |
Tags: apple video music
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Download: July 2008 Desktop Calendar
June 30, 2008 at 1:00 pm by AbleWe have almost made it to another month! Tomorrow is the first day of the month in the Gregorian calendar named after Julius Caesar. This month's calendar desktop includes the Roman leader on his "triumphal chariot." I hope you enjoy this one. If so, please pass along the link. Here's a preview:
Also, thanks to John at I Love Typography for posting the June desktop in his Sunday Type. (Maybe this one will make it, too!) If you have any interest in typography or design, his blog is a must-read! The site is climbing its way to 20,000 subscribers. Be one of them.
UPDATE: John did in fact post this desktop on I Love Typography. (Thanks John!) Be sure to check out the rest this week's Sunday Type. |
Tags: design inspiration download desktop free typography resource
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Look, But Don't Click
June 19, 2008 at 10:00 am by Able
The most obvious example, and they take it to the extreme, is www.dontclick.it. You are asked to click one last time before entering the site. After that, if you click...well, I won't spoil it.
Does anyone know if this would be possible without using Flash? |
Tags: flash trends, UI, webdesign,
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Music in Blood
June 10, 2008 at 10:00 am by AbleBettina posted a video the other day of a musical roller coaster. Below is a still from another musically themed video made from blood! Beautifully done, watch the video here. |
Tags: typography, video
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Antiquated Performance: Radiohead's Nude
May 28, 2008 at 1:00 pm by Able| Below is an amazing video by James Houston putting antiquated technologies to great use. The song begins at 1:09. Big Ideas (don't get any) from James Houston on Vimeo. |
Tags: video Radiohead,
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Download June Desktop Calendar
May 28, 2008 at 1:00 pm by AbleI'll be out of the office Friday, and I am not sure if I will have time to post this tomorrow so here we go. Below is the June desktop calendar. This is the third desktop I've posted, and I plan on keeping them coming each month so stay tuned! Grab the RSS feed, and don't be shy about leaving requests for future imagery in the comments. Right click and save the desktop below: 1440x900 (most of you will probably want this one) 1243x969 (This is the dimensions of my external monitor) |
Tags: desktop free, download, design,
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A Whole Suite of Birds!
May 23, 2008 at 1:00 pm by Able
It's no secret that I love birds so I am anxious to see if these products live up to their branding. Right now use of the products is by invitation only, and I have yet to receive access. I will let you know, once I get in there, exactly what we're looking at. As of now, they have these tools:
Phoenix: Image editor Toucan: Color swatches and palettes creator Peacock: Computer algorithm-based pattern generator Raven: Vector editor Hummingbird: 3D modeller and skinner Myna: Audio editor Roc: Music generator Starling: Video editor Owl: Desktop publishing layout editor Penguin: Word processing software geared towards creative writers Pigeon: Painting simulator Tern: Terrain generator (minitool) Horus: Font editor Woodpecker: Smart image resizer using seam carving (minitool) Rookery: A free, unlimited distributed file system network that anyone can connect to and store data in. It also powers Aviary's file search engine. Hawk: Digital content marketplace Crane: Custom image product creator Eagle: A smart online application that can identify complex data about an image based on the pixel patterns (i.e. which specific camera an image originally came from)
Whew! That's a handful. We'll see if it lives up to our expectations. For now, I'll stand by picnik for image-editing. Here is a list of other free resources Aviary will have to compete with:
GoogleSketchup: 3D for everyone (not to be confused with Google's ketchup) Fontstruct: Create geometric fonts. Chocoflop and The Gimp: These are more like Photoshop. Chocoflop for MAc, Gimp for PC. Inkscape: Create vector art without Illustrator! I Like Your Colors: Type in a url and get the hex colors. Stripe Generator: Need a striped background for part of a website you are designing? Audacity: Cross-platform audio editing software Open Office: Replace Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat for free! Avidmux: Video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. NVU: "A complete Web Authoring System for Linux Desktop, Microsoft Windows and Macintosh users."
Please keep in mind that I have not used all of these, but ahve bookmarked them over time. I link them here just to spread the word, and I hope they come in handy for some one. Please let me know either way, and feel free to leave some links in the comments. Maybe you have created your own software? Cheers!
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Tags: free editor, design, 3D, resource,
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Painting Machine for Inspiration
May 23, 2008 at 11:00 am by AbleSwiss musician and programmer, tokoloten, has built a fancy little online application that creates art by the movement of your mouse. It's called paintingmachine. Below is a progression that I created. I think the colors are different each time. I was hoping to introduce more colors in to this composition somehow, but could not. Maybe tokoleton will add this in a future version? Anyways, try it out. Maybe you can design the next Amon Tobin record cover. (Be sure to check out tokoloten's music while you are at it. It's electronica/ambient/noise)
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Tags: art machine, inspiration, resource, design, music, 3D, painting
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Desktop Calendar: May 2008
April 1, 2008 at 2:00 pm by AbleOkay, I pulled it off. Another desktop calendar for you! Last months' was unusually bright and futuristic so I thought I'd bring it back with some earth tones, and I started with a drawing from my Moleskine sketchbook. I also created April's to look like it were in motion, but decided to have May be very grounded. Happy Spring, enjoy!
Download here (1243x969)
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Tags: download free calendar images Moleskine
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Design Coding
March 31, 2008 at 10:00 am by Able| Eric has been saying it the whole time, but he never said it quite like this: |
Tags: design video coding
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Spring is Here: A Downloadable Desktop Calendar
March 27, 2008 at 11:00 am by AbleThe first day of Spring was the other day, and the days are getting a little longer. It's even going to get up to 80 degrees here in North Carolina this week! In the spirit of things, I'd like to offer you a little experiment I made as a desktop calendar. For those of you who need some color to spice up your office, I think you'll like this one. And for those of you who tend to keep things simple and toned down...well, I made a black & white version for you. Download color version here (1243x969)
Download b&w version here (1243x969) Please let me know your thoughts. I'd like to make more of these, and your feedback or requests will help me cater to your needs. Now get outside and enjoy the weather! |
Tags: download free calendar images
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How to Edit Images for Your Website, Free
March 12, 2008 at 1:00 pm by Able
So let's get to the application!
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Tags: software webdesign free tools resource photoshop
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Newfangled Eats in Time Lapse
March 7, 2008 at 1:00 pm by Able| Are you tired of me posting time-lapse videos, yet? Here's one of some of us eating. Newfangled Web Factory Eats from able parris on Vimeo. Music: They Might Be Giants UPDATE: I guess iMovie didn't export the audio because I tried to trim it. Oh well. Silent lunch. |
Tags: video donuts timelapse office work food
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Time Lapse of My Hands at Work
March 6, 2008 at 2:00 pm by Able| My days here ar Newfangled are never the same as the one before. Some are spent on the phone, some designing, some "making" emails, and some juggling everything that comes at me. The other day I focused the camera on my keyboard, and set it to shoot a photo every 30 seconds. I slowed it down and added one of the songs that I had heard that day, and noticed that my hands weren't the only ones typing on this side of the room. I didn't think that you'd be able to see anything through that giant monitor of Eric's, but apparently I was wrong. I was also suprised to see how little my left hand moves, although not surprised by my serious slouch! Time Lapse Video of My Hands at Work from able parris on Vimeo. |
Tags: video timelapse office work
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Time Lapse at Work
February 4, 2008 at 2:00 pm by AbleIf your were a mouse in our office for a day, and could survive long enough to sit on the top of the refrigerator for about 4 hours, this is some of what you might see: Another Day in the Life of Newfangled Web Factory from able parris on Vimeo. Music: M. Ward |
Tags: video timelapse office
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Is Handmade the Future?
January 30, 2008 at 2:00 pm by Able A Brief Message published an essay from Steven Heller today called "The Hand is Back." I guess you don't have to look too far past your own hand to see that the "cut + paste" look is ubiquitous. (I know I do it!) Collaged and handwritten ads are all over magazines and billboards, and are taking over the web. An amateurish handmade look/feel has now become of top choice in design.
Why? Is it nostalgia? I hope not! Maybe we feel "closer" to something handmade, as if a website constructed from scanned crumpled paper and coffee stains is more "real." It's definitely a big challenge to pull it off successfully on the web. Unless Flash is your medium of choice there is little control when obtaining that layered look, and even then it could look real cheesy and may be hidden from Google. Here at Newfangled, Chris has been illustrating his blog with his own drawings/collages much like a magazine. In his case, the images help convey a feeling or mood emphasizing the point of each article. It's not for the sake of nostalgia in that context, it serves a bigger purpose. Heller suggests that the trend will soon fall, but will it? I don't think so. Would Milton Glaser put the pencil down? Sagmeister? Chris? No. It's older than these new trends. The handmade has been around much longer than computer, and Heller of all people should know. He's THE historian for graphic design. I'd be interested to hear about what you think of the trends. Do you trust ads or websites that look handmade over others that are glossy or minimal? |
Tags: design trends typography handmade collage future
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Typotransformat
January 30, 2008 at 11:00 am by AbleI used to experiment a lot with erasure poetry. I would take a Sharpie to a text, leaving a poem remaining on the page between the black lines. It was always amazing to see that, even though there was only a fraction of the text left, people could still tell what the original text was about.
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Tags: typography poetry
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Next, News. But First, White Space!
January 23, 2008 at 10:30 am by AbleI am sure you all saw highlights from last weeks Apple keynote, if not the entir(ing)e speech. The Macbook Air is no doubt a great step towards slimmer portable computers, but last week it got in the way.
How many of you went to The New York Times to get up-to-date on the news, and noticed that Apple bought up most of the homepage? Yes, there was a clever ad where some guy begins going around the whole internet to fix all the ads that say Leopard is faster than Vista. Once the little flash ad (that took up most of the homepage) was over, however, it turned to white space. We all know Apple banks on white space, but I was appalled that it had come to this. They even bought up the space that bookends the Times' logo at the top, and left it empty. I guess I am just surprised they didn't route nytimes.com to apple.com for the day!
Update: Here's an article by "A Thousand Times No" about the ad Apple ran last week. It's a clear rant on the punctuation in the WSJ quote. WARNING: True irritated geekiness ahead... |
Tags: advertising news apple
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Layer Tennis, Friday 11, 2008
January 10, 2008 at 2:30 pm by AbleIf you don't know about Layer Tennis, consider yourself informed. It's where 2 designers go head-to-head in making the best image. Sometimes they are even animated using programs like Flash, After Effects or Image Ready. The animated gif's battle was my personal favorite! Watch tomorrow's match between Veerle Pieters vs Cindy Li! (The RSS feed helps to stay informed...)
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Tags: art technology layertennis
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An Urban Puzzle Made of Cubes
January 10, 2008 at 1:30 pm by AbleRemember the first Batman movie where the Joker says, "Where does he get those wonderful toys?!" Well, that's kind of how I feel when I look at Room 26 Cabinet of Curiosties, a blog curated by Tim Young and Nancy Kuhl. Today they posted a puzzle, ca. 1880's, that is made of cubes, each side having a beautiful print of a then urban city. |
Tags: art handmade puzzle history
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No Photoshop Necessary
January 9, 2008 at 4:00 pm by AbleThere is no need to exaggerate the size of Eric's monitor. It looms over me daily, blocking the sun from our corner of the room. If it fell, I could die. If I touched it, I am sure that it would send a sudden shock through me, launching me into one of the offices exposed brick walls. This is not science fiction, folks. This is the Hanns-G. Monitor of death!
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Tags: office
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Core77: Design, Wit, and the Creative Act
January 8, 2008 at 4:00 pm by Able In November, I had the opportunity to go to a panel discussion at the Art Directors Club called Design, Wit, and the Creative Act. I went with a copywriter friend of mine who got me a free ticket. (Thanks again, Andrew!) Unfortunately, I got stuck behind a big black platform that was set up to film the event so I couldn't see anyone from the panel while they were speaking. Luckily for you, you can view some "highlights" at Core77.The conference itself was overall disappointing, but there was some great discussion on humor in products and advertising. If anything, it was great to just think of humor and wit in my role here at Newfangled. Not that it's a selling point or anything, but I do think that a sense of humor around the office and with clients does indeed help business, even if to keep the stress down. Although the panels focus was on products and design, I found some insight on service and relationships. Steven Heller, who I know mainly through his contributions on Design Observer, offered what could be considered a cop-out presentation of a cheesy video of the history of humor and wit in graphic design. This was really just a movie with posters and cartoons spinning and whirling around with some captions. When it came time to have the panel discussion, he was a bit distracting and sarcastic at first, but came around to giving some great insight and seriousness. Kelly Dobson had a tough time with the whole thing, and it was apparent that she was uncomfortable, which Heller didn't show much empathy towards and repeatedly insulted her. Since she has a sweet, timid personality she just laughed everything off, but who knows how she felt when she walked away that day. If you get a chance to check out her work, please do. It is quite interesting. Think: empathetic machines. Intriguing, don't you think? Kid Robots founder, Paul Budnitz was there. He is quite energetic and spoke intelligently on the creative process. He understands the environment needed to be creative, and that each creative person has different needs. I really enjoyed everything he had to say. Tobias Wong showed the most intelligence that day, although he just sat quietly in the ausience. You see, he had a stand-in act as if her was Tobias Wong, and talked about "his" work really well. I'll be honest, it took me a while to put the peices together. I find his work interesting, and it doesn't surprise me that he would pull a stunt like that. He takes expensive designer objects, and kind of defaces them, without taking away their "value." Please check out his work, too. He hasn't updated his site so you'll need to Google him. With such a diverse panel, Ze Frank had his hands full to keep the conversations on track. It was a tough feat, but he did a great job. His opening presentation was well done, and informative. |
Tags: design newyork conference
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Development Happens Outside of the Internet, Too
December 21, 2007 at 4:00 pm by Able
A little closer to home, over 90 acres of Governer's Island is to be developed with playgrounds, sports fields, ecological environments, open park space, an amphitheater, and hills created from preexisting buildings on the island. Wow! I look forward to riding a bike around the island. Last time I was there I rode all over Brooklyn, and had a great time. I could just imagine how amazing the city would look from there! (I even made a short video from my time there.) |
Tags: newyork netherlands parks travel
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The Website Development Process Explained
December 19, 2007 at 4:00 pm by Able If you haven't worked on a website project, and you are looking to learn more about the process, you could read all of our Newfangled blogs and put together all of the pieces. However, Yongfook has put together a photo essay that explains it nicely, and will cheer you up! |
Tags: photography resource work webdeisgn
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Advent Time Lapse: Anticipation
December 10, 2007 at 4:00 pm by Able| My “Anticipation” installation is going well. Saturday I was in the space alone, and was able to get pretty far. Just when I was getting into the groove, and had some ideas of what to do next I had to start cleaning up. (frown) I had some errands to do on the way home, and some fun dinner plans…
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Tags: art video timelapse collage music
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Mail Art: When the Inside is the Outside
December 5, 2007 at 4:00 pm by Able![]() I have had it on the back of my mind to participate once again in mail art correspondence with Chris, but it has been a busy few months for me. We used to mail things to each other all of the time. Let me introduce you to Craig Oldham, a kindred spirit that has made the inside of the envelope the outside. I think he's on to a great idea! |
Tags: art mail
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Visualizing Advent
December 2, 2007 at 4:00 pm by AbleThe past weeks have been busy, and I expect that it will continue well into the new year for me. I am involved in a few different projects outside of Newfangled, and hope to share some of them here. My wife and I were invited to do some installations at the church we have been attending in downtown Durham. For hers, Julia drew birds flying from the front window to the back of the space. It creates a wonderful movement through the space. I made a time lapse video of her making it. Unfortunately, I started the video after she had already begun drawing the birds.
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I've been on the hunt for a while now trying to find the best free image-editing software.


If you use
So you have resized your image, but it's not square like the other headshots on the company bio page. This is also easier in Picnik than it is in Photoshop. You can specify the desired dimensions and move the crop box around to frame the photo just as you would like it before actually cropping it. Again, you can go back a step if you feel it needs to be done differently. Also, they have some default settings for creating you user icon from your favorite social networking site. They even have preset dimensions for creating desktops for your computer! (Seriously, I am not getting paid to write this.)
A Brief Message published an essay from Steven Heller today called "



In November, I had the opportunity to go to a panel discussion at the
Thanks to the
If you haven't worked on a website project, and you are looking to learn more about the process, you could read all of 
My installation is called "Anticipation," and will be an ongoing even through the Advent season. I will be creating art on paper in the front window on the other side of the room from Julia's drawings. I will be working with paint and collage, and I am not sure how many pieces I will make in the given timeframe, but got pretty far on it this weekend. It feels great just to get my hands wet with paint and glue again. It had been a long time since I had worked with materials in that way, and I was a bit intimidated if the idea of creating a sort of studio in public space. While I was at work there on Saturday, the Durham Christmas Parade gathered a large crowd, and while waiting for the marching bands and fire engines, they stood just feet from me, watching.