I realize this has been out for a while now but what can I say, going through 2300 fonts takes time. As well as including the classics, there are over 170 new fonts shipping with Adobes latest release.

Despite having been released several months ago there’s surprisingly little information or examples ( that I could find anyway… ) on Adobes site, so I thought I’d share a handful of the included fonts.

All the included fonts are in OpenType formats and obviously work for both PC and Mac, here’s a small taste.

Continue reading...

There’s no denying creating W3C valid coding for your website can be a pain. Many people dispute its usefulness, claiming that the extra hours spent behind the scenes are not worthwhile since their sites display fine without it.

There are however legitimate reasons for putting the extra effort into creating W3C valid code which go beyond being able to brag you have a W3C valid site.

Consistency: With the multitude of operating systems, web browsers and versions out there, chances are the majority of your visitors do not share your particular combination. Different browsers do interpret web pages differently, having W3C valid code helps ensure your visitors all see the same thing.

Future-proof content: Whats valid today will be valid tomorrow. While all manner of html hacks and shortcuts can make a website appear fine now, there’s no promise they will work on future browsers. Your best chance for this is W3C valid content.

Web traffic: Admittedly getting solid information out of Google is like trying to draw blood from a stone, but it is widely held that Google gives more traffic to website with valid code than to those without. Even without direct confirmation from Google, it surely won’t hurt you to have valid code.

Professionalism: Like anything else in business, is close enough good enough? Your website is an extension of your brand like any other, make it the best it can be.

Competitive edge: If your reading my blog chances are your a designer or a potential client. Even though they may not know exactly what W3C is, many clients demand it.

If a client is tossing up between you and a competitor to design their website, having a valid site while your competitor does not could be the clincher. On the flip side of that, not having it could tilt their decision away from you.

Does your site pass the test?

If not, two excellent resources are W3Schools and the W3C Markup Validation Service.

As you may or may not know, today marks the 20th anniversary of the day the Berlin wall fell. To celebrate Becks have launch this accompanying campaign, I almost like them as much as their beer. Almost… Continue reading...

After announcing the change back in April this year, energy and oil provider Statoil have yesterday adopted their new brand identity. The new identity has been received with mixed results. While many give the brand credit for it’s boldness, the final execution has received a bit of criticism.

In ticking off the 5 key features of a good logo, is the mark describable, memorable, effective in black and scalable? Yes. But is it appropriate? Many people seem to think no.

It’s definitely not the typical image that comes to mind when thinking about oil and energy, but that’s the point. After reading Statoils objectives for the design I think the Scandinavian Design Group has done well.

Continue reading...

It’s always interesting in advertising to see how competing brands sell products which are essentially the same, in this case bottled water.

Obviously there’s the convenience of buy a bottle when one is out and about, but outside of that I’ve always wonders why people regularly pay for something which is essentially free from the tap.

I’m sure it’s no surprise to people that many bottled waters are simply water tap water, while bottles featuring the snow capped peaks of Mount Everest are actually filled in Texas. But then there’s this…

Kona Nigari is desalinated ocean water, sold as water concentrate, for which a 60ml bottle goes for a whopping $33.50 US. The punch line is, you’re instructed to dilute it with regular water. Continue reading...