Inspiring TED talk on Copyright Protection

Johanna Blakley: Lessons from fashion’s free culture

Johanna BlakleyDeputy Director of the Norman Lear Center (a media-focused think tank at the University of Southern California)uncovers the merits of fashion’s free culture.  Apparel is considered too utilitarian to copyright, and what an academic considers plagiarism, fashion designers view as inspiration.

To combat this imitation, designers must constantly innovate and come up with an inimitable signature aesthetic. Blakley asserts that, from a bottom line standpoint, the fashion industry thrives due to its free-for-all culture.  More than anyone, fast fashion giants like Zara, H&M and Topshop have benefitted from this lack of copyright protection.

Video Source: TED.com


Go beyond the Limits of your Creativity

It is said that 3D helps make what is in a designer’s head come true faster. 

So here is a tool that gives fashion designers the opportunities to explore lines which he usually sketches in two dimensions only with a full volume rendering. The designer can work and visualize from every possible angle he chooses in the digital world


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The 50 things every creative should know

A while ago I came across an interesting website on the 50 Things every creative should know

I thought you’ll love to see them. Here are the top 5 that I believe in because they passed through my experience and I completely agree. You can read them all read here.  Which one do you believe in?

You cannot score without a goal

If you don’t know what you want, then how can you pursue it? Having a goal defines an end point, and subsequently, a place to start.#the50


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Lexus Recycled Fashion

On a quest to promote recycling, Lexus has challenged a few of today’s most innovative designers to turn hybrid car parts into haute couture. See more of the unique transformations after the jump.


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6 Ways to Improve your Creativity

Photo source: vi.sualize.us

Every Fashion illustrator or designer needs to be creative in order to develop some original designs. Tony Buzan, leading expert on the brain and learning and the inventor of the revolutionary mind mapping technique strongly believes that hat everyone can be creative.


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Little Printer - Print Your Sketches Faster

Little Printer is a gadget that caught my attention through it’s story.

Little Printer lives in your home, bringing you news, puzzles and gossip from your friends. You can set up subscriptions by using your smartphone and Little Printer will gather them together to create a timely, beautiful mini-newspaper.


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Where to find the perfect labels for your garments?

I believe that a good label is one of the most important things for a garment because it represents the first impression of your brand. If the label is well done it shares professionalism and quality for your brand to stands from the rest.


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Fashion Photography as inspiration for Fashion Illustrations - Portray Moods

Model: Anne-Marie van Dijk for Avantgarde Magazine
Photogrpher: Klaas Jan Kliphuis

Sometimes when we draw a fashion illustration, moods can have an impressive impact in our drawings. I always use the eyes and the mouth to show simple emotions, because my style of drawing is quite simple. 


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See What You Print - Fast and Easy to Use

Dear friends,

How do you print your illustrations | photos | graphic designs | portfolios ? 

If you want to live a new experience I’m introducing you this incredible tool: SWYP (See What You Print), a concept which brings the printer to the 21st century, by stripping it down of its cumbersomeness. I simply love it’s design and the simplicity of how it can be used: just dragging the screen to print and then seeing the file ‘becoming’ a print. 


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Nobody Tells People Who Are Beginners …

Do a lot of work! You’ll figure it out. Fight your way through that! If you need a little bit of motivation :) I recommend you to watch the video below:

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.


What are the essential differences between a graphic designer and an illustrator?

Source: Fashion Illustrator Naja Conrad Hansen

Someone emailed me recently and asked me about an aspect “Does Graphic Designers and  Illustrators have the same job?”

I believe that it’s essential for any illustrator to know the answer of this question so for those who are still confused I’ve made some research and decided to write a quick clarification. It will help you to promote your work better when you’re searching for freelance projects. Enjoy!

Illustrators have expertise in drawing, freehand art, and coloring while generally graphic designers use art to communicate a concise message they want to communicate and might employee an illustrator to help create elements that solve the design problem.

Illustrators

* An Illustrator draws images, primarily, and obviously, illustrations.

* Illustration implies a method or type of visual element–a representative style or technique. 

* The modern illustrator typically uses vector software  to create, manipulate and render line art, though depending on the type of education and training received, he may use more “traditional” methods such as pen or pencil on paper.

* Additionally, illustrators commonly use a variety of devices such as tablet pens ( ex: Wacom Tablet or Stylus)  or the basic computer mouse.

* Illustration has the ability to convey feelings and emotion

* Illustrators draw pictures for books, magazines, pictures for concept stores walls or other print materials, including greeting cards and wrapping paper

* llustrators use light, shadows, and color to create two-dimensional pictures. Most illustrators specialize in a particular type of drawing. For instance, fashion illustrators work for fashion designers and draw sketches of clothing as it is being designed or they have freelance projects related to the fashion industry.

Source: Graphic Designer Elias Wessel

Graphic designers

** Graphic designer may decided that an illustrator’s style or technique will enhance or even solve the design/communication problem

** Graphic Design utilizes a set of standards generally established and considered to be a rule for communicating clearly and effectively to a large set of narrowed perspectives.

** Graphic designer’s job is to combine text, illustrations, photography, typography and color to convey a message or concept visually.

** Graphic designers are visual artists who use their creative skills to design a variety of objects, products, materials, and displays for commercial clients

** Graphic Designers may create packaging and promotional displays for new products, distinctive logos for a product or business, or the visual design for a company’s literature.

** They also work in publishing, developing the layout and design of books, magazines, and newspapers. Some create graphics for television. Others develop designs for Internet Web pages, interactive media, and multimedia projects.

Resources: careers.stateuniversity.com


Design and the Elastic Mind

Source: TED

Paola Antonelli, design curator at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, spread her appreciation of design — in all shapes and forms — around the world.

In this video she previews the groundbreaking show “Design and the Elastic Mind” and designs that reflect the way we think now.  A really interesting concept. Enjoy!


Art and Design Mind Map

Source: Mindmapart

The Art and Design Mind Map will help you to understand the use of imagination as a resource in developing creative thought. The Mind Map breaks down the influences of knowledge, education and experience, the use of the senses and the relationship and effect of health, culture and social issues in art and design.

You will discover all this and more within the Art and Design Mind Map.


A Device that Converts Hand-Drawn Sketches to Vector Images

I’ve been searching for something like this for a while and now it’s here..

Inkling is a device by Wacom  a digital sketch pen that captures a digital likeness of your work while you sketch with its ballpoint tip on any sketchbook or standard piece of paper. 

The device consists of two parts: a stylus with a pressure-sensitive ballpoint and a receiver that stores and converts the sketches. 

To start using Inkling, users affix the receiver to a piece of paper, turn it on and start drawing with the stylus, ensuring the line of sight between pen and receiver isn’t broken. 

Inklink allows you to create layers in digital files while you sketch on paper, in addition to capturing your sketch, stroke by stroke. Digital files are transferred to your computer using the Inkling Sketch Manager software, and later, exported to applications such as Adobe® Photoshop® and Illustrator®.

Inkling for Fashion Designers

In fashion design, sketching is an essential part to visualise ideas and inspirations. Fashion designers love to try out new clothing and accessories in drawing, but only a fraction of those sketches come into being.

With Inkling, dozens of sketches can be done independently from the computer and only the ones worthwhile to be developed further can be refined in the computer.

Inkling for Fashion Illustrators

If you are into illustration, Inkling is perfect for preparatory art. You simply start off with a simple sketch wherever you are and turn it into a clean illustration using Photoshop, Illustrator or Sketchbook Pro. Files can also be saved in JPG, BMP, TIFF, PNG, SVG and PDF formats. 

Due to Inkling’s ability to separate drawings into layers, you can easily separate the first rough strokes from the subsequent outline and possible shadings.

Inkling is available in Wacom Store for a price of $241. 

Watch a demo of using Inkling here:

 

Source: Wacom