Category: General

Free cloud-based font sharing webinar

Suitcase TeamSync

If you read my review of Extensis Suitcase Fusion 7 recently, you may recall I mentioned their new service called TeamSync, allowing you to share your fonts with a team of users, even if they aren’t Suitcase Fusion users (though they will be). If you discounted it because it sounded complicated, I urge you to take a look at this recently recorded webinar that sheds some light on TeamSync.

You’ll find out:
• The advantages of cloud-based font sharing;
• The differences between Suitcase Fusion and Suitcase TeamSync;
• How Suitcase Fusion and Suitcase TeamSync work together;
• How to quickly get your users connected;
• How to stay in sync by sharing your font library with multiple users.

The Suitcase TeamSync webinar is only an hour long, and does a fantastic job of showing you exactly how it all works.

Is Apple’s design style going down hill?

Mac icon evolution
Ultimately, only you can answer that. Apple has chosen a direction with the Mac’s GUI that is quite a departure from even the recent past. Lots of people love it, and lots of people don’t like it at all. I find myself somewhere in the middle.

When I look at the icons above individually, I like all the new ones. But collectively, when compared to the old ones, they don’t work as well. First off, Apple has chosen to go decidedly whiter with their icons. In a crowded Dock, they all sort of blend together. None of them are easily recognizable at a quick glance. Second, some of them make no sense. Take the new Photos app icon—what in the heck do a bunch of color blobs represent? The old iPhoto icon was clear in what it represented.

But it doesn’t stop with icons. The entire GUI has gotten lighter, more “blended in,” and sometimes confusing. Overall, I still love the Mac’s interface. Lately though, I’m finding more and more “little things” that really bug me.

Nicholas Windsor Howard has a great two-part article about the subject (complete with plenty of screenshots) that’s worth the read. Part one can be found here, and part-two here. Take a look and see if you agree with his opinions.

Full-size wireless Apple keyboard… except it’s not from Apple

Matias Wireless Aluminum Keyboard
The standard full-sized Apple keyboard is probably the best keyboard I’ve ever used. I just wish it was wireless. Unfortunately Apple’s wireless keyboard, like almost every other wireless keyboard, jettisons the numeric keypad, navigation keys and extra F-Keys.

This is where the Matias Wireless Aluminum Keyboard (MWAK) comes in to save the day. The MWAK looks and acts just like the Apple Full Sized Keyboard, including the handy function keys to control your Mac. But there are three more things that make this thing a real gem.

First off, you can choose the MWAK color to match your device. It comes in Silver, Space Gray, Gold and Rose Gold. FINALLY, a full sized wireless keyboard for the Mac that offers black keys instead of white! What is it that makes manufacturers think that just because we’re Mac users we want want everything to be white? And it’s aluminum instead of the cheap plastic virtually all other keyboards are made of.

Matias keyboard colors

Next, you can sync the keyboard with up to four Bluetooth devices, including Android and Windows devices, and easily switch between them with the press of a button.

And finally, the 1,600 man battery is huge in comparison to other wireless keyboards. After a full charge (which can take up to 5 hours from empty), you can safely put the included USB charging cable in a drawer somewhere—because you won’t need it for another year. That’s right, a single charge will last you an entire year, according to Matias. And that’s with having the keyboard on and connected at all times (no delay in connecting to the host computer like most keyboards do).

The Matias Wireless Aluminum Keyboard sells for $99, and can be purchased directly or from numerous retailers.

I don’t own one of these Matias keyboards, so I can’t vouch for them in any way. What is the build quality? Do the colors match Apple devices accurately (or even close)? How does the keyboard feel compared to the Apple keyboards? I don’t know the answers to any of those questions because…

I would have run out to the Fry’s Electronics store down the street, but the website doesn’t list any products from Matias—despite the fact that the Matias website claims to sell the keyboard there. Same goes for BestBuy.

Tips for a better presentation

Presentation color
The late Steve Jobs was a master presenter. Part of what made him so good was the simplicity of his Keynote presentations. Here are 10 Presentation Design Tips from Envato that can help you create a more compelling presentation.

My two pet peeves: Color and repetitive obviousness.
Bad color combinations can absolutely destroy an otherwise good presentation. It’s easy to use a decent color palette, but a unique and bold color combination can really make your presentation memorable.

Repeating the obvious drives me batshit crazy. Please, for the love of God, don’t place your logo in the corner of every slide! And if you’re pitching company X for their business, don’t put their logo on every slide either—they know who they are, and they probably remember who you are since you probably just told them on slide one.

Inside the mill: How an Apple rumor gets made

Inside the mill: How an Apple rumor gets made

Apple rumors

You’ve definitely heard an Apple rumor before. Like, maybe there won’t be a headphone jack on the next iPhone? Or that iTunes is getting a major overhaul. They come from “unnamed,” “well-placed,” “reliable” sources who are “familiar with the company’s thinking,” or a blurry factory photo of unknown origin.

How does a piece of information from one of the world’s most secretive companies materialize online? It’s a much more opaque process than you might expect.

If you’ve followed Apple rumors online for any amount of time, none of this has escaped your notice. That being said, the last several years have seen “legit” media outlets jumping into the game, and quoting these sites as fact. As for me, I’ve found that 90% of “rumors” are little more than common sense guesses based on technology and past actions by Apple. The rest, well… I just wait for the official announcements before I get too excited about anything.

Quick way to improve your resume

Quick way to improve your resume

Start by framing your bigger picture before adding those smaller bullet points. Tell compelling before-and-after stories. Hiring managers will see what you have done — and can do for them. You’ll show how you’d improve their organizations, based on what you’ve done in the past.

I completely agree that telling a potential employer of specific actions you took that resulted in positive outcomes is much better than simply telling them your title and typical job duties.

Apple enters the energy business

Apple enters the energy business

Apple Energy

Apple’s Singapore solar project

Last week, Apple quietly dropped a bombshell in the energy industry, launching an entirely new subsidiary called Apple Energy that will manage the complexities of its renewable energy efforts.

What started out as simply “the right thing to do,” Apple is now seeking the ability to sell energy to end users and other companies. I don’t see Apple making a windfall from selling renewable energy, but the fact that they could essentially make a profit off their own energy use is, well… it’s typical Apple.

I think it’s awesome that Apple is doing this—no matter what the true reason—and I hope other companies follow.

Suitcase Fusion 7: It’s kind of a big deal

Suitcase Fusion 7 iconAs a graphic designer, I have a small set of tools that I depend on and trust. Since fonts are the lifeblood of most designers, a great font manager is vital to our workflow. I’ve been using Suitcase for decades because I’ve found it to be the best all-around tool for the job. It’s compatible with all my design apps, it’s fast and stable, and it offers just the right amount of nice new features to keep me upgrading. I fear that my reviews of each new release are beginning to sound like a broken record. (more…)

Let’s talk color

Let's talk color

Brands are built over time. In the beginning it’s important to simply target a color that will do three things:
• Resonate with your target audience
• Capture the emotion and tone of your brand
• Separate yourself from your competition

About The Graphic Mac

The Graphic Mac
Connect with me on:
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Pinterest