Music has always been strongly connected with art and there have been some fantastic album designs over the years. We’ve had picture discs, gatefold sleeves, concept booklet inserts and goodness know what else. Of course, many of the best ones of all about back in the time of twelve inch records; although there have still been some jolly clever CD packages as well. Compact discs may be a great deal smaller than their vinyl predecessors, but this has not stopped the more discerning recording artist from having album designs that really stand out from the crowd.

· The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy released a series of singles that featured a fold-out comic in the sleeve.

· A Whisper in the Noise had their album cover and lyrics printed on a beautiful antique paper.

· Pearl Jam’s ‘Vitalogy'album was created to look just like an old biology textbook.

· Whilst little-known Rochester band Science vs. Witchcraft used the outer sleeves of 5.25” floppy discs for their album (replacing the magnetic discs with their own CDs)!

As you can see, graphic designers in the music industry are still capable of coming up with some seriously original ideas!

However, compact discs are not going to be around forever and in this way the future is a little uncertain. Just imagine for instance if we only have music downloads in the years ahead… That would make things a bit more difficult, wouldn’t it? But whatever the future has in store for music, the design side of things is bound to survive. And that is simply but art is so incredibly adaptable.

Perhaps music’s arty side will move away from snazzy packaging altogether, branching out instead in experimental advertising; scratch and sniff Radiohead posters on double decker buses and even holographic Portishead logos on your shopping bag or central heating oil tank! Watch this space…

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With the world we live in, getting smaller, there is a constant need to cut down on clutter. A few well thought out changes can bring about a significant alteration in the appearance of the place we live in. It’s actually quite easy to do this even in a small studio apartment. Even major corporations now follow this principle. Be it Microsoft or something like Diesel North Wales, everyone wants to have a sleek and clutter free appearance.

As time goes by, we do buy more and more stuff without actually getting rid of things we don’t need or won’t use. One simple rule of thumb to follow is to throw away or donate things we have not used for more than six months. Chances are we won’t be using them at all or that we can do without it. And if something is not beautiful or useful get rid of it too. Get used to this idea of getting rid of things. It is not easy initially as we tend to be possessive about every little nut and bolt and scrap of paper that is in our possession. And most people have a hoarding mentality.

Consider this; new innovations and designs are constantly flooding the market. Cutting edge technology has never been used as it is now. Designers are aware of the need to save space and so everything is sleek and refined so as to free up as much space as possible. Take the case of the humble TV. From big bulky boxes that occupied a tenth of a room, they are now almost wafer thin.

So when you buy something, do some ground work. And if it’s worth waiting a while until a better and smaller version is launched, do that; it will save you a headache later on.

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You are either a Mac-lover or someone who has never used an Apple Mac. Bit of a bold statement maybe, but I have never heard of anyone who has used an Apple Mac computer who doesn’t prefer it to Windows and PCs.

Of course, Macs were the original machines for creative types, since it was on that platform that programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark Xpress and InDesign were originally developed. So in years gone just about every designer of all sorts of products from clothes to magazines would have used a Mac.

Admittedly PCs have caught up in that field, but only because Adobe (producer of many of the top, professional, creative programs) and Quark Xpress began to develop PC versions of their material. PCs are usually cheaper than Macs, so that move did enable designers who didn’t want to splash out for the expensive equipment to at least be able to work.

Apple has also been popular with its users because from the very beginning apple mac support was top quality, with its ‘helpdesk'staff knowledgeable about the programs as well as the Mac equipment. Since so many Mac-users are real enthusiasts, it’s not difficult to find helpful, experienced support workers.

But as designers probably the key aspect that makes us love our Macs is simply how stylish and lovely they can look. The coloured or flower patterned Imacs won a whole new generation of followers, but even without the colours, the sheer good lines of the new Imacs and ultra-thing Mac Book laptops are a joy for a designer to use. And that’s without even touching upon Ipods, Iphones and Ipads!

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My DVD collection is something that has diminished in recent year as things have gone digital and I now store more and more movies electronically without the need for hard copies. In many ways I now see hard copies as simply things that will clutter up my life.

However, I still get excited when I see cool designs for DVD Packaging and there are some really cool things out there. I think if studios want to keep people buying DVDs and blue rays discs etc then they are going to have to keep coming up with clever ideas for the packaging to increase the memorabilia value of the product so it is more than just a copy of the film.

One example of this was a boxed set for the TV series Lost that I saw recently. The box looked like it had be buried in the sand and recently excavated and did not just contain the DVDs to the entire series but also maps, a board game, a themed USB pen drive as well as cast and crew info and the usual stuff.

On the other hand I think some people prefer their DVD packaging to be consistent so that they fit nicely on a shelf. I can understand that but it is a little boring. I think it is more fun to let the creative juices flow and allow some designers out there to be inspired by shows to do really cool things. Then there is also the argument that boxed sets like this become collectors items and could be worth a fortune in the future. I am not sure I agree with that because many things these days are built so cheaply and mass produced that it saturates the demand. Will there still be lost fans in 25 years? I don’t think so.

But even so DVD boxed sets with cool designs will always make great gifts but, perhaps it will always be a niche market, but it is a cool niche.

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But now, more than ever, design is something which is being changed and evolved by a largely underground generation of bloggers who are not going unnoticed anymore. See for yourself. Type in “design blogs” and you’ll immediately have access to thousands – If not millions – of blogs. Some of which come from tweaked stock templates, and many others of which are designed by graphic designers and students with a penchant for what works best.

The best thing about blogs is, of course, the fact that people blog on everything from cars to fashion to Space technology and pets and designer homeware . This means that influences come from industry, architecture, and from the streets where graffiti rules It’s because of this that design has never been more eclectic, and, as we enter a new dawn where every person on the planet can potentially be an author, it only looks to progress at an even more rapid pace.

Got a scanner hidden away under the desk? Why not use it? With blogs being free and what you can do only limited by your imagination, it’s the perfect time to tell the world what you think, don’t you agree?

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If your home has a corner fireplace then consider yourself lucky as many lofts east London and other places in the city does not have one. Now a corner Fireplace occupies a lot of space in a room. But, if you have some nice decorating ideas, you can change the look of that room completely and make it look attractive.

A corner Fireplace usually contains a fireplace mantel. Some fireplace mantels are triangular and some are gently curved in structure. You can keep your big HD TV on the top or you can keep objects like candles, framed things, a tall vase or something you want to display. Don’t keep them in a line and try to do some experiment. You can keep different things that are same in size or height or you can keep things that are different in color, theme or texture.

These ideas are good for decorating the corner fireplace but not good enough if you are a person of neatness and order. You can also keep mirrors or an antique frame if you want to give that room a traditional look.

Placing a large wall mirror can completely change the look of that room. But, you don’t have to keep your ideas in a limit if you love doing experiment. You can add a bookcase or add shelves if you want to.

Don’t lose your creative side and follow these ideas to decorate your corner fireplace. The key is to design it in such a fashion that it depicts your style and desires.

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When working in design it’s important that you stay on top of your game, keeping your mental stimulation at a high in order to ensure that you work is good, and that you are always ensuring to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. Without out this sort of concentration, really good design can very quickly fall down and become bad design. So you need to make sure that you are mentally ready to work, even when you’re tired, when you haven’t had much sleep etc.

Of course, in recent decades everyone has started drinking a lot of coffee in order to achieve the sort of mental stimulation required in order to really succeed. But coffee has many side effects, most worrying is that it is a drug that is addictive. While the occasional coffee can help raise your level of mental alertness, quickly you’ll find that you are only drinking coffee in order to reach your normal level of stimulation.

So it’s important that before you get too addicted to the bean that you work out other ways to ensure that you can reach your mental peak at the right time. I have found exercise to be a good way to maintain concentration level without having to resort to stimulants. Whether you work in design or investments with the help of someone like Galvan Research, this will work. In the morning, go for a run. It’ll keep your energy levels high all day, allowing you to reduce your dependency.

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One of the great things about being a creative type is the fact that there are so many relevant excellent products that are available for free online. Design oriented types will find a plethora of free fonts, designs, templates, and open source software programs suited to their line of work, and all available for free. These can all represent a great opportunity for professional development, and can be an excellent source of new ideas for designers, artists, and creative types. They also represent a great opportunity to test products.
There are a number of design oriented blogs that regularly post repositories that creative types can mine for valuable information and ideas. These posts often include useful features such as free buttons, graphics, headers, footers, themes, and backgrounds. Using these can be a great way of cutting back on the time involved in more basic jobs, and can be a great way of adding to your repertoire of go-to designs. Many of these are public domain works, meaning that you can edit or alter them, as well.
In addition to these freebies, there are also some great design-oriented programs out there that are open source–meaning free to the world. One great example is GIMP, which is similar to Photoshop, only without the price tag. Using these programs can be a great way to cut back on studio costs, and can be a time saver, as well.
While some products are completely free, others are available on a trial basis. These can usually be downloaded and used for a period of time, or can be used indefinitely but with some limitations on the features that can be used. This can be a great way to test products to see whether you want to shell out for the full product or not.

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Defining Art Prints

All copies of works of art which are identical to the original are known as art prints. The art prints are often produced by using a photomechanical process. The process of reproducing art by using a printing machine is known as “Giclee”. Making prints is just like making a photocopy of matter instead of rewriting it. The copy of the matter is there but not the actual matter. Many artists make prints of their work and sign each print. These prints are coveted by collectors, who often sell them for profit in the future.

Defining Reproductions

Reproductions of oil paintings are actually hand painted items which are the recreations of the original works of arts. They are created by some person other than the original artist who carefully observes the original and paints a replica which matches the original work closely. All reproductions are painted with oil paints on canvas and are amazing replicas of the original work. Reproductions are more preferable than the prints, as they are quite cheap and can be used in decor.

Art prints are often used as labels in wooden boxes, cardboard packaging, DVD packaging and a host of other packaging items by manufacturers for advertising their products. Prints are very cheaply available and can also be used widely for number of different purposes. Reproductions on the other hand are costlier and are real works of arts, though exact replicas. Reproductions are widely used by interior decorators for enhancing the beauty and looks of a room or space.

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