Fresh

One of the most important things to my design work is constant experimentation. Whether it is a new photographic technique or an entirely new program I am always looking for a new way to create innovative graphic communication. Here at eROI experimentation is encouraged and in my last fit of unbridled creativity I pulled out a new program and tried my hand at some 3D work. Nothing innovative but in terms of someone that has NEVER worked in 3D I thought I did pretty darn good. The result was a few Fresh themed wallpapers for you to use… so go ahead and download them.

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Lately there seems to have been an explosion of 3D typography on the web so I thought I would give it a go myself and share it with you. Took a little time out of my day to experiment with type and light and this is what happened.

This little wallpaper was made with a combination of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and a lot of time on the Wacom tablet. The majority of the work took place while trying to make the shadow look natural. Shadows have always been really difficult for me to get right. All in all I think it was a worthy afternoon of exploration and creativity. Enjoy.

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We love bikes here in Portland! I’ll admit it though, I’m a fair weather rider. Now that the sun is shining (sporadically) biking is on my mind. I created this wallpaper with a vintage-feel in mind. There is a faint cobble-stone texture in the background which might speak a little more to Europe than Portland, but who’s keeping track?

Grab this wallpaper and you can picture yourself lazily riding through town while you’re actually inside because you’re at work or it is raining :)

Fresh Bike Ride, eROI Wallpaper

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I absolutely need music to pump me up throughout the day; if you saw my previous post about music that motivates me, you’d understand this. When I’m at work,  I’m wearing my white ear buds, have my legs crossed, and my fingers are racing across my keyboard as I respond to client emails or put together a project proposal.

Throughout the years, I’ve accumulated a list of my favorite artists, albums, and songs. The songs noted below, for different reasons, resonate with me and help me get my work done. The tunes help me focus, give me energy, and inspire me as I move through my day.

Without further adieu, here’s my list of B-roll tunes.

Tyler Stenson – Bittersweet Parade, Welcome To The Change

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There’s nothing like a beautiful sunrise or sunset to inspire great design or evoke a strong emotion.

This wallpaper was created by Stephen, one of our amazing web designers. He wanted to do a textural design incorporating beautiful photography and vibrant colors. Don’t you think this design communicates the fresh, crisp feeling of an early morning or dusk?

Fresh Sunrise, eROI Wallpaper

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At eROI, we’re all about collaboration and information-sharing. We share ideas, tweets, and even the occasional beer. When we see something cool or inspiring, we want to share it with those around us in hopes that it inspires them, too.

In that vein, we want to share some of our fun, Fresh wallpapers with you. Check out this one from Tom, our music-obsessed, fine point Sharpie-hoarding, designer extraordinaire. My guess is that he came up to this while jammin’ to his favorite tunes. Design improvisation at its finest!

Whenever I see him, he’s carrying around his sketchpad and making fun, happy-accident-type doodles. Don’t you wish your doodling could be this fun and festive?

Fresh Doodle, eROI Wallpaper

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It’s time to add to the collection of fashionable Fresh wallpapers for you to enjoy on your desktop and share with others!

I can hear the birds chirping! I can feel the sun in my eyes and the cool breeze flowing through my hair. The smell of tulips wafts… Oh wait… I’m here in the office. Well, this wallpaper is just that good.

I’ve used some faded tree and cloud elements combined with a water-color-y wash of lemon yellows and sea green for this wallpaper. Hope you enjoy!

eROI Fresh Wallpaper, Spring Breeze

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Music and design, in my eyes, are inseparable. I get inspired to draw and come up with new designs when listening to music, and feel totally strange if I am ever designing without tunes blaring or earbuds jammed into my head. I am a design nerd, and perhaps bigger music nerd, and If I had my way, would never have one without the other.

Certain songs or genres of music aid me in different working scenarios.  Sometimes I find myself knowing exactly what song or album to play for my current mood or for the task in front of me. If I am on a deadline, if I am wireframing a new site, if I am working late, or if I am just plain old stoked on a design direction, zoned out, head down, gettin’ it done, I know what to listen to to make that task more enjoyable. There are songs for reading your RSS on Monday morning, drinking coffee, ramping up for your week, and there are songs for your Friday afternoon, winding down your open projects, and thinking about your upcoming weekend.

Here are 10 tracks, old and new, and the web-design/interactive dork scenarios in which they feel most appropriate, as those scenarios fit into a 5-day work week.  Try them out and tell me if they work for you too. Hell, you might learn about some new music, get way better at those deadline pushes, or at least grumble a little less to yourself when burning the midnight oil.

NOTE: These choices are based on a combination of the general pacing and mood of the songs, and their subject matter and lyrics. Sometimes more one than the other, sometimes a perfect balance of both. One thing remains consistent: It is all subjective jibba-jabba according to one interactive designer and illustrator’s listening habits. Take it or leave it.
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While much of the country is still reeling from the effects of massive winter-ness, PDX has had an untimely run-in with Spring for the last week or so. Our cabin fever has been relieved for the moment, and so our thoughts turn towards happy hour on the patio and unplanned use of vacation days.

Now, some of us have a not-so-healthy idea of fun (spring cleaning, anyone?). Of course, often it’s necessary to purge clutter and bad habits, and spring is as good a time to do that as any. In this spirit we wanted to take a moment to talk about some of the best practices we’ve found when working with your design files. Good habits can make the difference between a seamless development process and a complete nightmare, one that will try everyone’s patience and waste valuable time. We’ve even included a little treat at the end to help get you started. Ready to clean house?

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he latest from Jessica Hische, Daily Drop Cap is a service to bloggers everywhere. Every day she is creating a new decorative drop cap for the public to use. She has created some beauties thus far, and I’m sure many more to come. She includes html to copy into your blog with each letter she posts. Thank you Jessica!

(images: Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische. Found Via Apartment Therapy)