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- Brand New: Downloads Page
  April 11, 2019Askey Studio Activities / Downloads / FontsIntroducing the new Downloads page on the site. So far we have our Tait Note font available, and more resources will be coming for you. Stay tuned!…
- Top 6 problems for new web development learners
  December 18, 2018Education / Tips & Tricks / WebIn graphic design, we are called on to perform all sorts of tasks. Some are artistic; others are technical. You may find yourself needing to learn web development basics. This falls on the “technical” end of the scale. For many students, this is a completely new way of thinking. Learning HTML, CSS, and code-editors seems pretty far removed from the end-product (websites). It is also quite different from the “What You See Is What You Get” applications you may have experienced to this point. Web development technically is not a part of Graphic Design, but designers work with developers. They do need to understand some of what goes on in that world. Here then are six ways learners go wrong when learning development. And, I’ll illustrate it with a minimum of code. Avoid these, and you might avoid a lot of the pain of learning this stuff. #6: Overlooking HTML structure basics Computers are picky. Your browser needs to understand the code you are giving it. This requires you to be precise. You will probably have to go back and check to make sure that your code follows the rules. We tend to “borrow” code here and there and paste it together into a finished page. But you need to be sure that you “close” tags and you are pasting things in the right place. Be methodical. Think about what order different elements need to be in, and what goes inside what. Use elements that make sense. You can find a very good summary semantic markup and HTML structure on HTML.com. #5: Using inline CSS Once you find out about the power of CSS, the last thing you want to do is format everything on the site locally. It is possible, but not practical. Work with an external style sheet and link it to all your pages. This will make editing so much easier. If you want to change the colour of all the main headings on the site, simply change one rule. This is much better than hunting through all your pages to make changes. It is more efficient and will result in a more consistent design. #4: Using absolute paths or links What is a site anyway? Well, it is a collection of interrelated files. When referencing those files in your code, find the shortest path to them. This will be the relative path. If you are on a page and want to put in an image located in the images folder in the same directory, write: <img src=”/images/my-image.jpg”> On the other hand, an absolute path takes you to an exact place in a network or individual computer. The problem is that you may not have control over these images. They may disappear at some point out of the blue. If you must link to external places (such as in the example below) then just know the risk. If your link is a long path within your own computer disk, something is definitely wrong. <img src=“https://i2.wp.com/pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/675021767384035329/tzxhzHS8_400x400.jpg?zoom=2&resize=400%2C400&ssl=1”> #3: Displaying distorted or pixellated images This usually results from poor planning. Plan out your layout. Know how big your images need to be. Adjust them – proportionally. Use image editing software (like Photoshop or Affinity Photo) before adding them to your layout. Learn to optimize images manually. Yes, you can adjust sizes using CSS, but be mindful if you do. #2: Not keeping your directory organized O.K., this one follows on from #4. More generally, you need to keep your site files organized. Don’t just pile everything haphazardly into one folder. Don’t keep your site materials and pages all over your local drives. This will help you when linking to the various files in your code. Follow proper naming conventions for files and folders (keep them lowercase). Start as a neat-freak, and your hard work will pay off with fewer headaches later. #1: Forgetting the <title>. This is by far the most common mistake by beginners. It might not seem like a big one, but users need the title of the page to bookmark it. You want people to bookmark it, don’t you? It is also used by search engines to display your site in search results. You want people to find your site, don’t you? It is easy to forget, because it is in the <head> section of your HTML document. Everyone wants to jump into building that website and making it look great in the browser window. Just make sure things are all set up there in the <head> before you get ahead of yourself! Conclusion So there you have it. There are many ways to go wrong when learning development. Most of the solution comes down to having the patience to plan, organize and check your work. If you can think of more examples or questions, feel free to discuss.…
- Learn Photoshop
  September 12, 2018Askey Studio Activities / Courses / Creativity / Education / MediaHey gang, starting October 3rd, Daryl will be teaching an introductory course in Digital Imaging through LaSalle College Vancouver E-learning. The eleven weekly sessions are 1½ hours long. They will include everything you need to get up and running with Adobe Photoshop with some fun, practical projects. All of this from the comfort of your own home — anywhere in the world! Course Details Times: Wednesdays 4 pm — 5:30 pm, Pacific Time Start: October 3, 2018 Technology needed: Computer with internet access, Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription, Adobe Connect. Get more details from LaSalle College Vancouver E-learning. Daryl Askey is a design educator and has conducted software training sessions for image editing, layout and illustration applications for more than fifteen years. Find out more … Student Work Feed…
- Summer Workshops for Kids
  June 24, 2018Education / KidsSummer reading writing & design workshops start July 4! Call for more info or contact us here.…
- Logo Woes (part one)
  April 16, 2018Branding / Creativity / Graphic Design / Tips & TricksA graphic designer’s impulse to critique visual details can annoy friends and family. But, it is also invaluable to anyone starting up a new brand. In reviewing many students’ logo designs, I have noticed some common pitfalls. And yes, I see no shortage of real-world marks that could be fixed – or scrapped altogether. By learning from mistakes perhaps you can improve your all-important logo. Logo problems fall into four categories: Ideas Selection of design components Composition Production considerations. Many logos exhibit problems in more than one, so isolating these can be difficult. Often flaws in one area lead to weaknesses in others. By starting with a strong design process you can avert these. 1. Ideas What can go wrong? Among other things, logos can suffer from obvious, cliché or boring ideas. To avoid being obvious, you need a lot of ideas. The point of design is to try things out – especially at the beginning of the process. Let your mind run wild. Research. Brainstorm. Sketch. Later, you can assess which concepts work for the brand. If you are an entrepreneur or part of a start-up business, this can be difficult to achieve on your own. Principals of a brand tend to be too close to the problem. An outsider — Brand agency or graphic designer — can better churn through all the possibilities. At the beginning, articulate the brand. Invest in brand strategy. Make lists that cover descriptions of your brand goals, personality and attributes. Also include a summary of the brand’s typical customer. Try to use “visual” words: words that suggest imagery. With these and the brand name itself, you can create intriguing connections in the brainstorming process. Things should get crazy. I notice that design students often get attached to one or two ideas early in the process. The key is to create many ideas without assessing them. Remember what I said about a designer’s impulse to critique? Everyone has it. When brainstorming and sketching, you must muzzle your inner critic. Stay tuned as we will continue our look at the idea stage of logo development ……

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Planwerks – Helping homebuyers re-imagine housing options

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Tait Note Regular & Bold

Tait Note is a casual handwriting typeface.