Fresh

I love books. I love design. I love me a good book cover!

“But I’m a web designer! What do I care?” you say. Well, so am I my friend!  Looking at media outside of the web is so crucial for inspiration for me, though. It gets me thinking outside the confines of my screen. For some reason, getting away from the media that you typically work with can really generate inspiration.

Book covers are also somewhat similar to the home page of a website. They have to communicate the essence of a story. They have to be captivating enough to grab someone’s attention enough so that they will read the whole story (or browse the entire site, if you will.) Sometimes there is a lot of information to convey, sometimes a little. You have to think about hierarchy. What is most important to communicate? Least?

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Got a designer’s wet dream for ya, people. Some great stuff here. A while back I was trying to come up with some ideas for wedding invitations (I’m getting married next year). The usual hand-made stuff off my home printer (which is pretty decent) was just not going to cut it. I decided I wanted to learn how to use letterpress and take it up a notch.

In the hunt I came across an amazing Portland resource, the IPRC (Independent Publishing Resource Center). In their own words, “Since its inception in 1998 the center has been dedicated to encouraging the growth of a visual and literary publishing community by offering a space to gather and exchange information and ideas, as well as to produce work. The IPRC is an Oregon 501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization.”

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