If the idea for your next project includes graffiti lettering, then venture on over to Graffiti Creator to start vandalizing your desktop! The site, run by Mike Wigén, claims to be the first “graffiti generator” on the Web. I won’t argue the point, but I will say that it’s one of the best ones I’ve used. It allows just enough customization to make it interesting, yet simple enough to save the image and easily trace in Adobe Illustrator if need be (hint-hint).
Category: General
Creative inspiration
If you’re looking get your creative juices flowing, two sites that are sure to inspire you are Ads of the World, and the AdGoodness blog. 
Both sites feature ads from designers and agencies around the world, complete with clickable preview images that show you the big picture, reader comments, and more information about the advertisement. Both sites have been around for quite a while and are favorites of mine.
Around the Web
4 Free graphics editors
Seashore – open source image editor using Cocoa framework. Inkscape – open source vector graphics editor similar to Illustrator & CorelDraw CinePaint – open source image editor that supports 8, 16 & 32-bit images Gimp – the most popular open source image editor with a huge following of users
Dealing with disk fragmentation in OSX
OS X does a great job at minimizing file fragmentation by rewriting files in contiguous space when a file is opened, is under 20MB and contains more than eight fragments. This works quite well to prevent heavy file fragmentation, but what it doesn’t prevent is free space fragmentation. TheAppleBlog covers disk framentation in this informative article. The article includes a brief tutorial on how to tell if your free space is fragmented without the use of a commercial program.
Adobe Creative Suite tips
InDesignSecrets offers a tutorial on how to customize your Links Panel and have the settings stick across workspace resets and app restarts. VectorDiary has a quick tutorial showing you how to converge points together using the Average function. The Average function is pretty powerful, and wildly under-used.
Typography
Snap2Objects discusses all aspects of typography, including anatomy, categories, adjustments and more in Fonts101. The article is fairly informative, and includes plenty of links to find fonts, font managers, and more type-related articles.
Twitter notes
If you’re not on Twitter, you’re missing out on a great resource. You can follow me on Twitter to receive tips and links I don’t normally post here, as well as general discussion. If you’re already using Twitter and looking for a more advanced desktop client, you might want to check out atebits on Monday – as they’re scheduled to release a desktop version of their popular iPhone Twitter client, Tweetie. There’s a brief intro video posted their now, and it looks fantastic. If you use the popular Evernote service, you’ll be interested in knowing that they now have Twitter integration.
Inspiration
There are plenty of sites that offer the opportunity to view other designer’s work on the Web. The latest I’ve come across is DesignFridge. The site offers a clean interface for viewing inspirational Web design from users around the world. The gallery is categorized by style, so it’s easy to find samples of just what you’re looking for.
Evolution of famous logo designs
Your business card is CRAP!
The importance of color management
I recently had a conversation with Andy Hatkoff, Vice President of OEM and technology licensing at Pantone, where we discussed the importance of color management in designer’s and photographer’s workflow, and how color management has changed and what tools we can use to get the best results. You can read the importance of color management at Macword’s Creative Notes Blog. There’s a link at the end of the article that I’ve found quite useful in explaining some of the ins-and-outs of color management for Photoshop users.
Digital printing tips
Digital printing is a great way to produce low-quantity, fast turnaround color printing. In the past, digital meant extremely low quality, but these days some of the digital presses can reach near offset quality if you know a few tricks. Here are just a few things to keep in mind when printing digitally.
Gamut
Gamut is the term used to describe the range of colors that a specific printing device can produce. If you’re coming from CMYK offset printing, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find out that digital presses can handle up to a 20% wider color gamut. What this generally means is that you can use redder reds, greener greens and bluer blues. This can be a real plus when designing your marketing materials that have vivid images that traditional printing simply cannot reproduce in the CMYK color space. Now that you understand color gamut, let’s move on to how you can put it to work… (more…)
You’ve heard of the iPod? Introducing the OfficePod!
In the “I’ve seen it all” category, I bring you the OfficePod – the next generation of workplace. The OfficePod claims to improve productivity by providing a work environment that is separate from the disruptions of home life, and also provides employers a cheaper way to provide a workplace for their employees. 
Maybe they work a little differently in the U.K., but I just don’t see this type of thing going over well in the U.S. Still, it’s a cool looking little “remote office” if you’re entire life is on the computer. As for me, I can only see cramped space, and a vomit-enducing lack of air movement. After you spend what I’m sure is a small fortune on the OfficePod, you’ll have to find yourself a general contractor to run enough power to the thing. That is, after you get the permits.
Dealing with Adobe CS4 “license stopped working” errors
If you own a LEGAL copy of Adobe Acrobat, or any of the other Adobe Creative Suite 4 applications, and have suddenly received a “Licensing for this product has stopped working” error message, uninstalling and reinstalling is not likely to fix the problem. 
Adobe is apparently aware of the issue, and has posted a KnowledgeBase article covering some possible solutions. The article covers all operating system versions that CS4 will run on, and offers several solutions you can try (in order) to fix the problem.
Inspiration: Beer packaging
Niki over at DesignO’Blog has posted the fourth edition in a series of packaging design posts, this time focusing on some awesomely designed Beer packaging for your inspiration. 
Niki left off my personal favorite (seen above), but the rest of them look really cool. Check out the visual beerfest, and remember, friends don’t let friends drink and surf!