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The Facebook Application Ecosystem: Why Some Thrive--and Most Don't
An O'Reilly Radar Report
by Shelly D. Farnham, Ph.D
The report with data collected over the fall of 2007 has current meaning for those whom are considering or developing FaceBook applications for clients or themselves. How do you make your FB app appealing and relevant.
Having had a number of peers building or been asked to build applications, it is not always within the power of the developer to coach the client on what will work, or if they even should enterain such an endevour.
The report is backed by solid research and numbers. While the social media landscape is changing, some things will not. The research will guide you to make more informed decisions on the approach of your application based on past failures and success.
A quick read and information that not all of your competitors may be aware of, this is a report ready and willing to put wieght and meaning behind those inevitable FB converstations that clients raise.
The Moment It Clicks
Joe McNally
ISBN 978-0-321-54408-7
I have the feeling that once they assembled the photos, then the author or editors decided upon what the various chapters would be called. I say this because the reality is the chapters broken out into Shoot what you love, Keep your eye on the camera, The logic of light, There is always something to bounce light off of - to me don't really speak to the real power of the book. Its about photography right? So just flipping through the book is actually more a delight and worthwhile than following a seemingly bare thread of like associated topics.
The photos are a great collection. The text accompanying each photo gives a
story about the shot which details something different each time - such as a
story about using a bed sheet to cut hard sun for a Time life cover shot - a
lesson, story and technique rolled into one. The book cleverly moves through
this way, showing great photos by well known photographers over time. And
photography is what it is about. The Shot. The quickness to capture what is
there. One great line is that you have to make sure the picture speaks for
itself - as you will not be in the room when people look at it. Basic
advice, but one like other basic and straight forward advice, is valuable
and oft ignored.
Treat this book at a group of mentors imparting some advice to you. While not a book to use as a tool such as - hey I want to replicate that picture - but one that will guide you by a mixture of stories, technique, talent and just maybe a little luck.
Great for all types of photographers.
Professional Design Techniques with Adobe Creative Suite 3
Scott Citron
ISBN: 0321495691
From Adobe Press, this soft cover format book defines it's self in one of
those areas between a great design magazine and a handy educational tool.
The book itself breaks chapters out by project work rather than product.
This is more inline with what I require as a digital based graphics
designer. I am not about to use an illustrator project book, but rather one
that targets a project like what I am involved with to use as a resource.
The chapters are the ubiquitous "Getting Started" (great info on what and
how Bridge should be used, as well as info on preferences and organization.
This is actually more important a chapter than at first glance. I am supprised by the amount of designers now in CS3 who still hang on to old habits (die hard) with bad or non existing preferences and layouts tailored to themselves. Bridge too is so important to great workflow, yet not enough designers out there are taking advantage of it.
THe remaining chapters in the book are broken out by projects on typography, corp identity, newsletters and forms, magazines, books, annual reports and interactive PDF. The book closes off with a chapter on workflow that covers a CD label. This I would say is a miss. CD - um yeah that format that no one buys. Why is it not something more interesting such as a DVD jacket and label for a movie or better yet, an actual game on the market. THough it shows good workflow, the example is dated and not relevant and makes the chapter a bit of let down.
Another point missed out in this book is the inclusion of digital media. Is it an aim for the book to be knowingly exclusive of any form of non print media other than an interactive pdf? The book does feel, though using the latest CS3 project, that it is from a pre web period when there was the promise of interactive CD's and an interactive PDF world. This is a shame as a professional designer who thinks that all outside of print is irrelevant is, in theselves in danger of being irrelevant.
Overall the book reads well, has great examples and excellent tips scattered throughout. The examples are for the most part relevant only to print based designers, so one can look at this as more of an upgrade read through to garner more from CS3 than from any hands on learning in a start to finish setting.
The Digital Photography Book Volume 2
How to Unleash the Power of Crowds in Your Business
Scott Kelby
ISBN: 0321524764
This book is just the right size to slip into your camera case and take along with you. The book upfront gives great advice before delving into the main chapters. Chapters are broken out by like categories such as using flash, wedding shots, travel and portraiture. The chapters in themselves however are not drawn out affairs. Each page is topic specific running one to two pages with concise to the point advice. The information in each topic is in an easily guided verbiage to get you quickly through the task at hand.
I find that I am not able to always remember all the fine points of advice when it comes time to make that next shot. This book is going to be a handy reference tool to remind me on technique, equipment and do's and don'ts. While you may never plane to be a wedding photographer, the book has lots more info than just this and besides, the information is great for technique and equipment for the serious amateur.
Besides having a great index (most books miss the importance of this) is the final section. A selection of pretty much every type of shot is shown, with the "recipe" to get it. Kind of made me feel like being in the Chef's kitchen getting the goods on a secret process. In a field where professionals wont always want to help out the amateur, this book goes a long way to help.
Digital SLR Guide, The: Beyond Point-and-Shoot Digital Photography
Canfield
ISBN-10: 0321492196 | ISBN-13: 9780321492197
The book titles itself as a guide. I would label it more as an essential
book for anyone who recently purchased a digital SLR. The book lives up to
it's promise of taking you beyond point and shoot. After all, if you just
doled out for that SLR, you should want to make the most of it. The book divides itself into reasonable chunks of information and is sorted
logically, taking you through the camera features, lenses, flash and filters
and on to RAW files and image editing. This book does not act like a
classroom book - with tutorials etc, but offers all the basics in a simple
and straight forward form. A good example is in the techniques section. Four
pages are spent on handling light and dark objects. The dark objects are
shown with two types of exposure and the copy explains the whys and the
solutions at hand with a digital SLR. The copy explains how the light and
dark objects are similar in challenges and shows the typical photos that you
would be challenged with. The photos themselves are not overly grand, but certainly not just
snapshots. The main point of this to the reader is that it does not make one
feel that a section is beyond them, just because there are no photos of a
place or subject you won't encounter without a big travel budget.
The price is a little high, though it may have dropped now that the CDN dollar is on par with the greenback, but at $50 it is worth the investment if your making the move to something more than a point and shoot camera.
How Digital Photography Works
White & Downs
ISBN-10: 0789736306 | ISBN-13: 9780789736307
So you may know how to make a great shot, but actually understand how your camera works makes you get more out of what you are trying to achieve. Sure it is important to understand about F-Stop and all those cary over terms from the analogue world of 35 mm photography, but the internal workings of the digital camera are different from the old 35's and are worth a look.
The book is broken out into four section. While the fourth section covering
ink-jet printers, monitors etc under the heading of "How Digital
Print-Making Works" , is under explored and frankly, seems a peripheral
subject and not really paid much more than lip service in terms of content.
The other three sections are on track and full of great visuals. The
sections are 1. Getting to Know Digital Camera, 2. How Digital Cameras
Capture Images, and 3. How the Digital Darkroom Works. Each section has chapters which are backed up by Downs' great artwork. The
graphic from encyclopedic approach works to merge the text and graphics to
get each point across. While the aforementioned sections give you a good
idea of the topics covered, the value out of the books topics comes in the
form of greater knowledge of your tool to get a better result. A good
example of this is the section detailing how your eye can control
auto-focus. Sounds futuristic, but most mid level camera SLR's have this
function that follows the retina to bring in view the subject.
Some of the book has items more suitable for the technique side of photography, but the book would make a good library item or one for the tween or teenage age group who is embarking on a photographic hobby.
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Photoshop CS3 RAW
By Mikkel Aaland
ISBN 10: 0-596-51052-7 | ISBN 13: 9780596510527
Page 94 has a small box that explains why you shoot RAW. Basically you are using the raw data and are able to create image by image looks and changes by changing the RAW defaults and custom settings. Much like you get different looks and feels by selecting Kodachrome over Fujichrome.
Hmm. Sound confused? Basically if you have a camera capable of shooting RAW, then you shelled out some money for a fine tool that you are not taking advantage of. Maybe you should return to the point and shoot pocket camera. If you do want to get the most out of your digital SLR, then you will need to understand what RAW is. How do you shoot it, archive it and manage it. This book assumes that you will have Bridge and Photoshop, so without those tools, you may not get the most out of the book.
The images are accompanied by technical and heavy reading text, but all informative and very good at getting you up to speed in an afternoon or two. The book directs you to images online that are used as examples. I would suggest downloading those soon after reading, as one can never be sure of the length of time that materials like that can be available. The step by steps through out will guide you on various tasks and are worth working through at least once rather than reading and going on your own.
If your serious about editing and shooting great photos, you need great shots, but also great negatives. The new negative is the RAW file. Aaland lives up to the task of helping you make works of art out of your RAW files.
Learning ActionScript 3.0
By Rich Shupe, Zevan Rosser
ISBN 13: 978-0596527877
Forty Bucks. Having struggeled with the new AS3 code for even such simple things as URL button actions, this is a very much creased, coffee stained and thumbed book. A must have at any price for a professional who is struggling with the new code platform.
The book is well organized and lives up to the subtitle of a beginners guide. Thing is folks we are now all beginners as AS3 shipping CS3 is not the same at any level. The book is of course not bedtime reading, or even (well for me anyway) one I would sit down to read, but a resource to help during those times when you need to start forward with AS3 actions.
Colour coded and loaded with visuals for step through descriptions, the book allows for easy reference. Sure you might be able to find info from open source sites for what you need, but without understanding such things as why the AS is on the timeline and not the object, you will forever be stuck in cut and paste and prayer mode. Time to step up to AS3, get off old AS2 wagon and prepare for what will surely will be in CS4 a ditching of AS2.
Forty Bucks. Ten cents a page. Top of the AS heap - priceless.
The Creative Digital Darkroom
By Katrin Eismann
ISBN-13: 978-0596100476
First off, nice to see parity to pricing that reflects the Canadian dollar. Hats off the O'Reilly for spearheding this.
The book is amazing. What another glowing review? Well what can one say. With the CS3 release and now Lightroom, I was looking to push boundaries with Photoshop. The book is beautiful, well laid out and not only full of professional examples but well organized window shots of the programs to get you through the examples given.
The book is not a beauty coffee book. Its a working book. It will get torn, stained and worn. Count on it. If you are a professional photographer who wants more out of your photos, a photo digital artist or more importantly on the production floor, this is what you need to get to that point where your original images shine.
One of the most valuable themes is preparation. From preparing for import to export, the theme overall is organize, catalogue and understand that the more organized and prepared you are, the better the outcome. Sound sense, but this theme was one I found carried through the book and has strengthened my production skills.
If you have CS3 and consider yourself a professional this is a great resource. If your a student, and from what I have seen lately, you must have this. This will give you more Photoshop life skills than the current college offerings that I am seeing.
BTW this book has its own companion site at CreativeDigitalDarkroom.com
Global Brand Integrity Management
By: Richard S. Post, Penelope N. Post
ISBN 0071494448 / 9780071494441
From skimming through the chapter titles such as 'Somebody will try to take your profits' the first impression is that the book is a fear mongerer. Far from the truth, if you have an organization or a client that has proprietary information/product development, do not leave it to chance, or someone else to ensure that you are in charge of the situation. This book is a wake up call for today's reality of income loss to corporate stealing and how to increase the protective environment around your product.
Riddled with case studies, the book also asks pointed questions. Ones which make you think about what your company is doing to protect itself and on the flipside, doing to take advantage of the market by being proactive.
Compact and straight forward, the book is a must for anyone who owns or is in charge of a business with either products OR services that are deemed in need of corraling from competitors.
Marketing
Dhruv Grewal, Michael Levy
ISBN 0073049026 / 9780073049021
Marketing starts off claiming that this book is the first, comprehensive textbook in marketing in over 20 years. The Americain Marketing Association revised it's definition of marketing to "an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders."
This book claims to be the first to live up to the new mantra. So does it?
I would have to give a resounding yes. A compreshensive book for sure. And don't think it is going to be all black and white text. The layout is one which appeals to today's university student with almost magazine layout stylizations. A book that is packed with what you need to teach and learn.
One aspect of the book that is paramount is the ethics portion. Too many students are lacking in understanding ethics due to demographic shifts. To prepare them for a role where they will be speaking to other demographics that cover all ranges of the community, the ethic values hits home.
The book sections off chapters into four sections:
Asssessing the Marketplace
Understanding the Marketplace
Targeting the Marketplace
Value Creation
Without giving a chapter by chapter review, suffice to say, the outakes cover today's important marketing issues. From the growth of MTV into a cultural beacon to One to One Marketing. The book covers all genres of media and is in tune with today's reality of a fractionated media delivery platform and talks to the opportunites that new delivery platforms present.
One should note that the authours promote that the book comes with a website for student to do self-test with multiple-choice questions, as well as a smattering of videos.
A History of Western Art Revised
By: Laurie Schneider Adams
ISBN 0073526460 / 9780073526461
This is a very up to the minute (in terms of art) book, but previous
editions may suffice for educators not wanting to laden the option of a new
text on their students. The book covers Western art from stem to stern in a
very deep and communicative way. By sticking to only Western art, one is
able to have a text that explore the beginnings and influences of various
cultures on art and vice - versa. While there are other areas of art besides
Western, those are not the topic at hand and the book sticks to its roots by
taking you through the timeline of art in the Western sense.
The book has great breakdowns in time charts with the styles/period,
examples of works, cultural/historical notes shown. By layering these across
time periods, one can see the advancement of art forms in category of art
being chaptered. Another great tool that takes the user through various and
seemingly non aligned chapters is the use of connections. A work being
discussed may be accompanied by one or two other thumbnails of works related
in either topic or form that shows influence or simple non associated and
bilinear advancement in style and presentation.
A well planned and classroom manageable book that would be suitable for any
course dealing with Western Art as a topic - either as a whole or in part.
Art Across Time Combined
By: Laurie Schneider Adams
ISBN 0072965258 / 9780072965254
The book covers most of the great art through the ages, from rock paintings
to modern day. As usual though with western publications is the less than
adequate attention to Sub Saharan African and Far East art and architecture.
Not saying that there these are not covered, just not as in depth as the
usual western art is covered. In some ways the non western art seems like an
afterthought - being added as "special sections". I would assume that all
art is special and therefore, why not have as much on Chinese art (5 pages)
as one would on the Greek art (50+).
The book divides are along typical Western art lines of periods. This of
course does not allow to insert or explore art in terms of form. While it
makes sense to explore art in a time line when the title is about Art across
Time, it would have been better served to treat art by style. This way the
European and Japense block printing would be treated as a form - while the
variance due to culture could be explored as a sub theme.
I did not find that the book was as inclusive as one might have hoped - no
real treatent of North Americain native art - and the similar thick sections
on Greco-Roman as well as Euro- western art seem hauntingly familiar to most
art books that try to cover too much and end up on one or two subjects.
Perhaps if the book was more specific - west vs east, or put the word
Western in the title and left it at that, I would not have felt so
unfulfilled by a large volume promising to explore all.
Real World Adobe Illustrator CS2
Mordy Golding
Pearson Ed
0-321-33702-6
This book was valuable on a number of fronts. I have never had actual training in Illustrator and as a result have shyed away from it as a tool. Preferring other vector programs, I was intimidated by Illustrator. This book allowed me to get past those feelings and take control of the tool.
This book is well laid out and offers a number of sidebar comments that are important points in each section. There are great full colour examples and indepth text that adds to the learning experience. The Trace Techniques section is, to put it mildly, outstanding. This really shows the power of the tool in gifted hands. I don't plan to be tracing french horn photos any time soon, but have had to do some rotoscoping in the past and have picked up a few new techniques.
The Typography section is indepth and pretty encompassing. Text is such a pain in programs. Does the printer have my font? Do I render to paths. Where is that font? The book guides you through the process of dealing with many type issues.
One of the most valuable areas for me was the appendix entitled - Moving from Freehand to Illustrator. As the books says, it was in place before the aquisition was announced and it won't solve any "which is better" arguments. But it does help you understand the two applications better.
Great value and good for an intro course or self learner for Illustrator. Best that you have some artistic talent as this is a guide to a very big power tool. Wear saftey glasses.
5/5
Photoshop CS2 for Advertising and Marketing: Secrets from an Entertainment Advertising Insider
Daniel O. Sorenson
Peach Pit
0-321-35028-6
I don't get this book. If this is supposed to be work from an entertainment industry insider, then there is a lot of bad movie posters out there. When you shell out good money for a book, you want to be educated and, especially in this genre, be astounded with great work. Sadly this book lacks on both fronts.
The book covers different forms of advertising such as anime, magazine ads, music promo, billboards and movie posters. Each really are entertainment advertising media, but let's face it, anime is a style of art, magazine ads could easily be for cars - same for billboards. I have seen posters used for many forms of advertising. And CD work? It would be more telling if I saw DVD covers being produced in this book.
I get the feeling that its all over the place and as a result, the outcome is scattered, not indepth and gave me no new insights into new ways to use Photoshop. talking about paths with the pen tool really belongs in a self education or overview book of Photoshop. This book should have said, hey, we used Photoshop to create these great promo's and talked more about what does and doesn't work from a marketing point of view. That would have been more interesting and informative.
0/5
Macromedia Studio 8: Training from the Source
* By Shaowen Bardzell, Jeffrey Bardzell, Bob Flynn.
* Published by Macromedia Press.
* Series: Training from the Source.
ISBN: 0321336208; Published: Jan 31, 2006
Another must have book from what is now Adobe Press. You can pretty much forgo the small book that shipped with S8, and or if you bought S8 through a download you wouldn't miss much. This book is what every S8 user should be budgeting for and getting as a get started and whats new. This is a great starter and refresher course material book that offers up great lessons.
Each section starts with an overview, followed by a time estimate, expected outcomes and anticipated time for the lesson. Some you may want to skip over, others covering newer material with the S8 release, you will want to get more involved with. Each lesson has associated materials in the accomanying CD so you wont have to waste time on creating items to learn with.
If you're a one person studio, you might want to have this on hand as it deals with many areas that all producers have problems with. Let's face it, a good programmer is seldom great with a graphics tool and vice versa. This book shows how to use Fireworks, Flash and integrate items (beautiful or not) with common code elements and interface with Contribute and ColdFusion.
Great for self starters and single or multi subject educational material.
5/5
Title: Illustrations with Photoshop: A Designer's Notebook
First Edition: December 2004
ISBN: 0-596-00859-7
At the end of a long day of conference seminars, it is nice if they have a seminar that is more fun and informative rather than the heavy learning types. This book reminds me of that. A great read, but more from an intrest point of view. I didn't find too much to learn from here, but found with intrest, the techniques intriquing. It's refreshing to see how others go about using Photoshop to achieve an effect that I would have used a totally different approach on.
The subject matter and layouts are beautiful and well laid out, detailing the work of five great artists. Each section evokes the emotion of the work and guides you through the thought process to achieve the end point.
Great library read or a gift for that designer in your life. Priced a little high, but fits in the gift budget.
4.5/5
Title: Commercial Photoshop Retouching: In the Studio
First Edition: August 2005
ISBN: 0-596-00849-X
Pages: 270
This book came too late. I was wrestling with a large billboard design and finally had it shipped to the printer when this book came in the mail. The book really helps one understand the power of dealing with many subjects. For me, the section about making low res images look high res made me think twice about my techniques and better informed for the next round.
This is a book that actually lives up to it's title. Creating motion from stillness, extending backgrounds, trap, were informative, but these are only subsections. The book runs the gamet, from dealing with the issue of professional photoretouchers to improvements on reality, creating new items, shadows, even a full section on colour and then on newsprint.
Definitly a book for the advanced user of photoshop and one that requires a full read through rather than the reference tool type. The information is deep and compact in a great layout. I would reserve this for the library or bathroom before opening up Photoshop. If you do any sort of retouching or deal with photos for advertising and print, this is a book to have.
Good for professionals and educators and people that love to mess about with photos.
5/5
Title: Photoshop Photo Effects Cookbook
Subtitle: 61 Easy-to-Follow Recipes for Digital Photographers, Designers, and Artists
First Edition: November 2005
ISBN: 0-596-10022-1
Pages: 176
I am a firm believer that cookbooks should remain in the kitchen. This book did not really provide me with any new recipes of use. The one recipe I did want to use for a client operation, I resourced the online materials and followed it through but was unable to have it turn out. If the experiment was a cake, it would have been in the compost bin.
Most of the book is taken up with two page layouts that show you how different effects work. Well I have been pretty familiar with the graphic pen filter for a long time, so most of the book which touched on those was wasted pulp.
There was nothing here that really wowed me about either the work, the layout or the subject matter. Maybe a first entry user of Photoshop might find it interesting , but I can't really recommend this title to a serious Photoshop user. I couldn't even give this book away at my user group meeting.
1/5
Title: Flash 8 Cookbook
First Edition: April 2006
Series: Cookbooks
ISBN: 0-596-10240-2
Pages: 534
I am not keen on any book that has Cookbook in the title. This book however is more of a Hanes manual for your old Volvo 240. You will have lots of shop spills (coffee not oil) and dog eared pages on this when you finally move on to a future version of flash. Even then this will become a great tool.
The book has four main solution sections: creating content, building interactive interafaces, using projects (I never get around to actually doing that!) and adding multimedia and data.
O'Reilly put a lot into this book, with a load of solutions, with the if, how, why and here you go.
Best if your up to speed and know your way around Flash well. For me, its a matter of understanding and implementing solutions as I encounter them. "Damn, how do I best deal with that problem? - Dunno? Read the book".
Short and too the point, you will need this if your a professional - either from the design side or the programming side of Flash. Not much use to students, though educators should read it through and get up to speed to increase the amount of knowledgeable students coming out of courses (enough of the bouncing balls already).
4.5/5
Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 QuickSteps
By: Matthews, Carole Boggs
ISBN: 0072263709
DOI:10.1036/0072263709
Pub. Date: 2006-12-01
Copyright: 2007
Product Line: McGraw-Hill
Powerful, useful and informative, but really only counts for those who are going to invest in the new software. I admit that I have not upgraded my office suit yet and so some of the items in the book were not applicable to me, however it does give me a sense of where the product is going and I can advise clients on upgrading and also next generation presentations. Powerpoint is THE tool of the presentation environment. Just plain fact. I could care less about the whys and etc, as what is important is that clients want PPT presentations plain and simple. This book lays out well the uses of the tool in how to lists and well appointed design.
For the office (not Office) professional who wants to go a step further for themselves or others (hint for a raise on that next review once you do a make over on the boss's next ppt will ya?); this will be a great addition.
Educators will want to get this book as a handy reference tool to point out some new features on the tool. Well priced.
4.5/5
Microsoft Office Excel 2007 QuickSteps
By: Cronan, John
ISBN: 0072263725
Pub. Date: 2006-12-01
Copyright: 2007
The Quicksteps line of books are quickly (forgive the play on words) showing a trend in self help books. Thoughtfully laid out with informative graphics and text, this book helps the average doofus like myself understand Excel a whole lot better. You should have the latest version, as not everything will work on older versions of Excel, but if you don't - it will help you decide on investing in the newer version. Excel is such a power tool for accounting, why am I just using it to sort mailing lists? The book has colour tabs to sort you out and get your inner pencil sharpened - maybe just in time for the spring budget or tax season.
For home or office use which demands a spreadsheet application. Educators will want to get this book as a handy reference tool to point out some new features on the tool. Well priced.
4.5/5
Photoshop CS2 RAW
By Mikkel Aaland
Pub Date: March 2006
Print ISBN-10: 0-596-00851-1
Print ISBN-13: 978-0-59-600851-2
I must admit, I took a long time switching to digital for photo work, and then I thought I was set. It appears that not only do a I have to master the camera for settings, but in those instances where the money talks, I have to learn about RAW format rather than the high res JPG format I thought was dealing me a good deal.
If you shoot professional photography in digital format, you best scurry on down to the local bookstore for this one (or order online d'oph).
RAW gives you the ground base to build and perfect the data that results in great photographs. Of course you have to be a great photographer to begin with, so that said, this is why professional photographers need this. Alright, its important for photo illustrators too, but if you photographers do not understand why its important to shoot RAW, then the illustator, or yourself cannot do diddly with the jpg in terms of coverting to RAW again.
Must for professional digital photographers and illustrators. Handy for designers dealing with photos. Not relevant to non photo centric people. Printers will have an intrest in this as it relates to client work.
Information Dashboard Design
The Effective Visual Communication of Data
By Stephen Few
First Edition January 2006
ISBN: 0-596-10016-7
This book primarily deals with what the title says. Dashboards. I was not aware ofthe complexity and breadth of this type of interface, but since it is not a forte I usually provide to clients, the book was an interesting read.
Way back when I got into digital work, I first learnt as a programmer and put together simple applications. Even then, it was really the program that allowed the interface to be built and dictated what and how things were displayed. Today, one can customize an interface for dashboard software, be it tied through a network, RIA, or some other data stream. There are simple rules to follow and key learnings that this book can translate to other design realms.
Had a client choose your worst mock? Been there - done that. This books best advice is simple. Choose the best design that fits the needs of your clients and present that. The rest of the advice and as to why, you should find out for yourself.
Well worth the money. Suitable for all designers to get a different perspective on interfaces and a couch jumper for those who are managing reporting systems for clients (inhouse or not).
Appeal to software architects, interface designers and other designers such as web, RIA, DVD or interested parties. Not relevant to the print crowd too much.
Photo Retouching with Photoshop: A Designer's Notebook
Translated by Marie Laure CLEC'H
First Edition December 2004
ISBN: 0-596-00860-0
This book is not what the cover appears to indicate - although ording online, it was the title more than the cover that attracted me to it. Sure it has some sections on restoration - which to me indidcates retouching, but a lot of it is about photo illustration.
Very well explained and well put together, this small book shows a good representation of some of the ways one can integrate photos that result in something that is nigh impossible in one shot alone.
The book covers restoration, body manipulation, sky and contrast fiddling, montages, photo art and commercial artwork. The problem with this book is each chapter is different from the rest. I see no need to have all of these together, rather split them up into an expanded book for each section. I had no intrest in the artwork of a photo illustration of a woman in the sky, but was interested in the body manipulation and the photo restoration. But each of those chapters were not detailed enough. You will run into many different situations and one photo or example is not enough.
More please - so I can select the titles that pertian to me. Its like putting fine cabinetry and house framing and boat building in the same book because you want to appeal to those with a saw as a tool instead of Photoshop as a tool. Photoshop is used in many different facits and never to the breadth by one that this book would like one to believe.
Limited appeal until its broken out into a series and added with more depth.
Head First Design Patterns
By Eric Freeman, Elisabeth Freeman, Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates
First Edition October 2004
Series: Head First
ISBN: 0-596-00712-4
I once heard about a school that was built but the landscaping was left until the following spring. This was so that they could mark the trails that the students left in the snow and put the pathways where people naturally went rather than force them to go to a predifined and septic grid.
That is essentially what this book is trying to do. Get you away from feet first mentallity of "just build the damn thing" and having software architected to mimic the natural patterns of how individuals think so that the proper design is molded and more effective before the first line of code is wrought.
With a great set of exercises and explanations, this is a keeper if your the lead architect or teaching about software architecture. The book makes you understand patterns and relay that to others.
Appeals to sofware architects and teachers/students.
Minor note - loose the low rent clip art on the cover.
Contemporary Advertising
Author: William Arens;
ISBN : 0072964723
© 2006 | 10th Edition | 736 pages , Hardcover
Status : Active, In-Print
This is not only contemporary, but comprhensive. An excellent text that covers the range of history that leads to today's form of advertising, showing what has worked in the past, the present, and through the ages.
The text has excellent explanations of specific campaigns. Examples such as the rise of Mountain Dew, and how it became the strong brand today from the original drink mixer for moonshine is but one such example.
The text covers workflow and patterns that are unique to ad creation and leads the reader through the process through detailed copy, real world examples, and finished products.
Perhaps one of the suprising chapters is the production techniques. Too many come out of school with what they think are the goods on good advertising, but missing the boat on production and the inhereint limitations and production efforts involved. While not a how-to, the text certainly explains the processes.
The text goes into great length about how different forms of media use advertising. Radio is to Billboards as print is to televison, so the various sub types, buying patterns, influences and importance of each is well covered.
Overall a great resource for the classroom as well as some catch up reading for those confined to one form of media when branching out. This should be in every agency's library.
Consumer Behavior & Marketing Strategy
Authors: J. Paul Peter; Jerry Olson;
Division : McGraw-Hill Higher Education
ISBN : 0072864877
© 2005 | 7th Edition | 608 pages , Hardcover
I used to think in university, why are books for courses new every year? Well if its calculus, that might be true, but with this book, its almost the other way.
The market being what it is, new and innovative ways of marketing change and a textbook from even three years ago will not broach the most recent phenonemon that students will take note of and feel cheated by the cost of the book, not to metion that they will regard the professor as being out of touch.
This is probabally the most up to date text to cover this realm and does a good job of integrateing time tested methodolgy with new and relevant cases from the market today.
Well thought out and comprehensive, this text is a stellar work.
Good for those teaching this subject to dictate to students for the course, as well as those in business to do a refresher on what it is they are spouting to clients - yes things have changed since your marketing degree in 1985.
New Products Management
Authors: C. Merle Crawford; C. Anthony Di Benedetto;
Division : McGraw-Hill Higher Education
ISBN : 0072961449
Status : Active, In-Print
List Price: $133.95
Let's face it, texts are not becoming any cheaper. While not escalating like tuitions, they are more than they used to be 20 years ago, inflation included. For that increased amount, the text better be damn good and chuck full of material to get the new student on the right path, and the professor on course with the latest material.
So does this book fit the bill? Yes and no. A lot of this is rehashed material from what I can see pertaining to methodology, but there is a strikingly large amount of mention to recent products. This may be because the book was originally written in 1983, with seven updates including the '06 version.
I am not an educator so will leave this one to the professionals to decide if the newer text warrants the wrath of the students for a new edition or not.
For educators and students and product managers who used to be engineers (there are more than you think out there).
Note: why do textbooks look like text books? The design is very 80's.
Adobe Illustrator CS2 Classroom in a Book
* By Adobe Creative Team, Adobe Creative Team, Adobe Creative Team.
* Published by Adobe Press.
* Series: Classroom in a Book.
ISBN: 0321321839; Published: Jun 17, 2005; Copyright 2005;
What is it about the Classroom in a Book series that I devour like ice cream in the middle of August in Texas? It has to do with the richness of the presentation, the simplicity of design and the total coverage of material that you don't get in the box with the CD, or more importantly buy direct online and dont have a manual.
If you are starting out and don't know squat about CS2 Illustrator, or are migrating from another drawing program, you need this to get by. You need this too if your upgrading from older versions. What the hell, you just laid major coin on Illustrator, now dig a bit deeper and get to know all of what you invested all those late nights in paying for Illustrator.
Keeper and reference tool for all.
Adobe Photoshop CS/CS2 Breakthroughs
* By David Blatner, Conrad Chavez.
* Published by Peachpit Press.
* Series: Breakthroughs.
ISBN: 0321334108; Published: Nov 23, 2005; Copyright 2006;
I confess. My library (ok the bathroom) is stacked with Archie comics for the occasional pastime while taking care of things. My latest edition is this book for the sole reason that there is just too much to absorb at one sitting. Nor will I use this book as a desktop reference tool while working on a deadline. I need to absorb all this great information over time, like the multipication table.
The book have something that usually is loathly missing in most. It give you paths to the command that is speaks of in the relevant question/answer sections regarding particular needs (Q. How do I resized a batch of various sized images. A. Use Fit Image (File > Automate > Fit Image - course there is more to this than that, but you get the drift).
Great guns. A keeper for me and other professionals who count on Photoshop to make the mortgage. BTW the Archies stay as well.
Mastering Color with Ben Willmore DVD
* By Ben Willmore.
* Published by New Riders.
ISBN: 032134250X; Published: Nov 12, 2004; Copyright 2005; Dimensions ; Pages: ; Edition: 1st.
I met Ben on two occasions at conferences in the late 90's. He was very informative in person and it is great that now with DVD format one can get a better handle on presentation in a way that VHS sucks at. Ben has a knack for not only being a whiz at Photoshop, but translating what he does in a manner that makes you better for it.
I won't go into details, suffice to say that your getting a great deal considering what it costs for airfare, conference fees etc, to see in person - or via the screen what will enhance your way of dealing with, and understanding color. Too many designers are not educated properly on the limitations, breadth (conflicting? not so) and power of good colour design can bring to your work.
If you consider yourself a designer but have not had proper education, you better pony up the dough for this one.
Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 with ASP, ColdFusion, and PHP: Training from the Source
* By Jeffrey Bardzell.
* Published by Macromedia Press.
* Series: Training from the Source.
ISBN: 0321336259; Published: Nov 11, 2005; Copyright 2006; Dimensions 7 X 9 ; Pages: 528; Edition: 1st.
REVIEW: One thing I am still not sure of with the whole Adobe - Macromedia merger is the status of Macromedia Press. Thier books are essential to any professional. When my Studio 8 came in the mail, the first thing I noticed was that there was no book inside. This book becomes paramount to now helping me through the changes with 8 with respect to Dreamweaver and it should for you too - especially if you like to thumb paper rather than scroll PDF's.
Like earlier versions of this book, it conctrates your learning by going through the steps of a project. The accompaning cd has all the tutorial files as well as a trail version of DW8 - so no excuses.
Depending on how long you have used DW, you might not find much in the first few chapters, but the lessons get intense quickly with lesson 3 having you set up a local server (note you best have Windows XP Pro to do this) and delving into dynamic web sites.
The book does a good job at explaining the CSS features of Dreamweaver, however if you do not know CSS, best you get a book on that first before getting into this one. This book is for those ready to hit the ground running... no standing still on this one.
Great trainging manual for introductory classes and intermediate and below users, though more advanced users could use it from the staff library to brush up skills or find an answer to the odd probelem associated with new releases.
4/5
Macromedia Flash Professional 8: Training from the Source
* By Tom Green, Jordan Chilcott.
* Published by Macromedia Press.
* Series: Training from the Source.
ISBN: 0321384032; Published: Nov 16, 2005; Copyright 2006; Dimensions 7 X 9 ; Pages: 512; Edition: 1st.
REVIEW: One thing I am still not sure of with the whole Adobe - Macromedia merger is the status of Macromedia Press. Thier books are essential to any professional. When my Studio 8 came in the mail, the first thing I noticed was that there was no book inside. This book becomes paramount to now helping me through the changes with 8 with respect to Flash and it should for you too - especially if you like to thumb paper rather than scroll PDF's.
Ok so lets look at the guts of this book. At over 512 pages there is a lot covered here. As usual the basics are all covered. I suspect that since there was no book that shipped, they anticipate you buying this one and plodding through. Half the book to me was old school stuff with the exception of explainations as to where things are located in this release, or new ways to achieve familiar things, so def peruse and absorb what's there. Chapter 7 and above make this book worth the entry price.
The tutorials are straight forward and are great learning tools - especially in the more esoteric topics like actionscripting and video, though i felt the Publishing chapter really could be shorted to just one page.
3.5/5
Hillman Curtis on Creating Short Films for the Web
* By Hillman Curtis.
* Published by New Riders.
* Series: VOICES.
ISBN: 0321278917; Published: Aug 31, 2005; Copyright 2006; Dimensions 7-1/4 X 9-1/4 ; Pages: 224; Edition: 1st.
REVIEW:
For anyone wanting to create a short film, web or otherwise, this book is a great starting point. Curtis takes you through some of his works and offers insights into projects - success and not so successful. The candid approach to the work runs more like a one man show of dialogue. Do not expect a How To format. Curtis is all about letting you in on his experiences.
Curtis these days is trying to re-invent himself from a designer to a digital video producer from a web designer (an a darn good one at that). Being one who is starting to dabble in video after I picked up my dvd palmcam last year - I appreciated being shown the path by one who has been there before.
5/5
Color in Three-Dimensional Design
By: Kopacz, Jeanne
ISBN: 0071411704
DOI: 10.1036/0071411704
Format: BB 302 pages
Pub Date: 2003-09-09
Copyright: 2004
REVIEW
Whilw this book will primarily appeal to interior designers, it is a great resource for those interested in the play of color and color theory. Coverage of theory is extensive, including harmony and identity. Fully one third of this book is about theory.
The other two thirds of the book cover color three dimensional perception and application. For those who are decorating digital rooms, the application of color to the setting is the same as the real world, if the outcome is to replicate reality. How color interacts in the setting alone and with other colors is sometimes not readily thought of, but the impact of the tone, texture and color used creates the setting, more than the physical structure itself - note to those with small home offices in the basement.
Recommended as an introductory text for design and architecture or any class that deals with color, this book has a lot of photos of color at work, as well as illustrations on color maps and dialogue. Not a book to get your next project done by example, but rather shows you how to get to that end point.
A great resource for professional designers as well.
5/5
History of Western Art w/ Core Concepts CD-ROM V 2.5
By: Adams, Laurie Schneider
ISBN: 0072997680
DOI:10.1036/0072997680
Pub. Date: 2004-08-11
Copyright: 2005
REVIEW:
In a word - comprehensive. This book is beautiful from cover to cover and covers most of what you would expect, but adds detail in terms of comparing works of art in small side bars. A painting of a reclining Venus is brought up in sections covering later time periods to show the influence early art work had on the pieces of the day. A significant covering of 20th century art is also important to note as with that period now closed, we can see that it is more than just about Campbell's soup cans by Worhal.
I had the misfortune of having the flu but the recovery passed quickly as I spent literally most of the day reading through this book and reaquainting myself with the foundations of art. Now I see the influence of various forms of art in almost everything around me. As a designer I like to think that what I produce is new. Of course the best design borrows from the past...even if its a web page layout or corporate brocure. This coffee table sized book inspires me to realign and recognize that great art is to be inspiring as well as revolutionary.
I can hardly wait to get into the CD ROM again, which on first pass seems to beg for another sick day.
5/5
Living with Art with Core Concepts CD-ROM v2.5 w/ Timeline
By: Getlein, Mark
ISBN: 007298936X
DOI:10.1036/007298936X
Pub. Date: 2004-08-11
Copyright: 2005
I recently read a book about the concepts of design. The rather pointed book dryly showed in line drawings what core concepts were and how to apply them. This book beats that to hell. Kinda like I can explain a great movie, but until you actually see it, it's hard to see it in action. Melding great works of art (some well known and some not - to me anyway) with the explainations of what makes that painting work.
Why does the flag draw my eye to the ship in the background, and why is that figure slipping off the raft not showing his face? Well there are many answers to that as there are many reasons. If you asked me to paint a portrait of someone in a scene, I might approach it as if it were a video grab. Now I see that placement and form are all important - just like my art teacher in high school tried to explain to a class of rowdy kids. If he had this book, perhaps we would have listened better and actually learnt the first time.
The book is full of great art and illustrations and is well worth the sticker price for anyone interested in art, and what makes great art stand out more than good art.
5/5
Designing Interfaces
Patterns for Effective Interaction Design
By Jenifer Tidwell
First Edition November 2005
ISBN: 0-596-00803-1
352 pages, $49.95 US, $69.95 CA, £35.50 UK
REVIEW
Interfaces. Everything has one. Even this website, or journal you are reading.
This book will appeal to designers of websites and to software designers. Today software may run on the web, desktop, handheld or phone. With so many different ways to deliver information and content, its a daunting thing to deal with the differing nuances of each interface - an interface determined by the device.
This book is very up todate, but probably will requrie a new edition by this time next year as next generation phones hit the North American market in full stride.
The strong message in this book is the need for simplicity. Too often a product gets overdesigned. Usually by a product manager. They should be forced fed this book, though that might make them think they are designers, so not a good idea maybe.
Each chapter is divided into two parts.
First is the subject experience such as layout. This section is followed up by a great Patterns showcase of new and familiar interfaces and how they meet the challenges and elements that the chapter discusses.
The chapters themselves are grouped into three parts: overall (OS, web, apps, etc.), specific items (data, user input, text and graphic editors) and polish (style, form and function).
This is a great reference, and - yes - and lazy Sunday afternoon read. You should be a design professional and ahve experience under your belt such as nav bars, dialogue boxes and what a drop down is, and what it is used for effectively. This book does not tell or show you how to get that golden interface (nor should it). Designing Interfaces explains some of the key things that you should know inheritly (if not know, after you have read it) and helps strenghten your cerebral toolbox and amaze yourself.
5/5
Assembling Panoramic Photos: A Designer's Notebook
Translated by William Rodarmor
First Edition June 2005
ISBN: 0-596-00975-5
96 pages, $19.95 US, $27.95 CA, £12.95 UK
REVIEW
This is more of a novelty for those who want to create nice panoramic stiches of, well, whatever they want really. I have tried in the past to stitch, but with version of Photoshop before the new transform tool in CS2 it always proved to be an underwhelming experience. I am not sure if this book can really help improve my skills and proved an interesting read, but with the tools in CS2, most of the book becomes redundant.
One thing the book does do well, is set the stage for creative venues for panoramic photos. From multiple shots to subject matters and test shots. The book is probably a good one to have on hand at a library or for the panoramic enthusiast, but not something that is going to appeal to the average designer.
Well laid out and rich in detail, the book is by default, a prisoner of its niche content and fails to ispire.
2.5/5
Adobe Creative Suite 2 Workflow
Integrating the Tools, Increasing Your Productivity
By Jennifer Alspach, Shari Nakano, Steve Samson
First Edition December 2005 (est.)
ISBN: 0-596-10236-4
672 pages, $49.95 US, $69.95 CA, £35.50 UK
REVIEW
Full of the basics to get any soon-to-be Photoshoper off the ground with CS2. Lots of examples on virtually every page, step you through real-world situations, clearly and quickly.
A few good sections on Bridge, Version Cue and Searching right at the beginning ensure you don't make a mess later on as you wade through all the chapters devoted to Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator, GoLive, and Acrobat.
While it does cover Photoshop basics such as removing color casts, red eye, setting up printers and placing text on paths...it also details how it efficiently ties into all the other Adobe applications found in CS2.
And how to make the most of your time - a good general book for beginners but even advanced users may glean new insights if they haven't tried CS2's new features.
4/5
Adobe Encore DVD: In the Studio
By Doug Dixon
First Edition September 2004
ISBN: 0-596-00600-4
336 pages, $39.95 US, $57.95 CA, £28.50 UK
REVIEW: This has to be the best companion I have found todate for use with Encore. The book is very well organized and is useful as a step through guide when creating your DVD project. Somewhat familiar with the product, this was a better companion than the information and help files that came with Encore. The book is used constantly to check on items, see the process of how to implement what I want and reference to see if there is alternative to the process I am employing.
This is pretty dry stuff and not really a book one cozy's up to on the couch, but it certainly works to answer in depth the questions one invariably has in any video project.
After looking at a few other Encore books, this one is a cut above. Shoots straight, no padding, answers clearly and in-depth.
4/5
Java™ Class Libraries Poster, The: Java 2 Platform Standard Edition 5.0, 8th Edition
* By Patrick Chan, Rosanna Lee.
* Published by Addison Wesley Professional.
* Series: The Java Series.
ISBN: 0321304780; Published: Oct 26, 2004; Copyright 2005; Dimensions 36 x 48 ; Pages: 2; Edition: 8th.
I was intrigued by this poste. In once glance one can easily find where and in relation to what, the java classes. Unfortunatly I am not a programmer so passed along to have someone in the company IT department review it. Last I heard it was not well recieved and they really had no constructive comments. This got me thinking - who uses these things? The uniformed - if I dont use it I wont need it. The informed - they didn't see the value. The classroom - i never understood these things on the wall - like the poster of the body in biology but was never utilized in the instruction of the class.
This one escapes me.
1.5/5
Cascading Style Sheets: Designing for the Web, 3rd Edition
* By Hakon Wium Lie, Bert Bos.
* Published by Addison Wesley Professional.
ISBN: 0321193121; Published: Apr 25, 2005; Copyright 2005; Dimensions 7x9-1/4 ; Pages: 416; Edition: 3rd.
REVIEW: Written by the authors of CSS, at first I found it a bit heavy in dialogue and backgrounds. Not until you open the book to the index does one actually realize the wealth of information in the book. Do not expect this book to show examples of the next great page, but as a resource in trouble shooting it helped explain alot of questions I either was too lazy to look up in Dreamweaver Help or couldnt find the right type of answer elsewhere. My level is pretty much entry intermediate, but with this book, it took me a bit higher. I am getting rid of my introductory CSS books and using this one as my main go to guide.
CSS is covered in detail (20 pages on CSS colour alone) and the explainations are straight forward. The most valuable chapter is "Spaces around boxes". Running over 30 pages, this is a well thumbed section that explained to me where I was going wrong with a layout CSS I was doggedly trying to force to do what I wanted. Once I went through this section, it became clear my folly.
This book now has an honour of being well coffee stained and front and center on my resource shelf.
4.5/5
Official Adobe Print Publishing Guide, Second Edition: The Essential Resource for Design, Production, and Prepress, 2nd Edition
* By Brian Lawler.
* Published by Adobe Press.
ISBN: 0321304667; Published: Oct 25, 2005; Copyright 2006; Dimensions 7-3/8 X 9-1/8 ; Pages: 200; Edition: 2nd.
I know a teeny tiny bit of print. Spot colours - hmm I did know that one, but since I don't do much print (or haven't til this year) I was always at a loss when it came ready for the printer. This book is an essential guide for the non print designer.
Terms, project proofing, even what a colour bar is (you know that strip of colour on the prepress and press proofs?) - it's all covered. There is a world of difference between making something for screen and print. If you have ever had someone ask to have a business card made, or a more complex print piece, and you usually export a 300 dpi TIFF and hope for the best this book helps take you further. Every introductory design course, not just a print course, should be covering this book to ensure that designers are well versed in all the verbage, processes and production issues that print demands.
A great chapter in this book covers project management which most will not think of to be in a book like this. The added value of having this chapter allows one who is not familiar with print to understand ones responsibilities to the client, the printer and themselves. Do not waste time creating something the client may love and the printer will not deliver - at your quoted budget anyway. It all intertwines and knowing what questions to ask is the key to a better project. And don't forget that File Checkoff List.
4.5/5
