Back in college (er, way back), I used to use really expensive made by Karisma, but I don’t think they’re available any more. But, I can attest that using quality pencils can really make the difference when drawing and sketching. They tend to be softer and the colours way more vibrant. The wood is better quality than cheaper ones, too. Do you still use pencils in your work? If so, which ones do you use now? let me know in the comments section…

Credits: Found via Jason Lanzoni.

★ If you liked this post, then take a look at Rainbow MacBook Keyboard Decals.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

Happy Easter 2012 everyone! Here’s a quirky unofficial Pantone® experiment I just discovered via Daniel Acacio. These Pantone Easter Eggs were created by Jessica Jones of art and design blog How About Orange.

Jessica explains: The graphic designer in me couldn’t resist attempting faux Pantone Easter eggs. I dyed these boiled eggs, then typed up the labels and printed them on ink jet temporary tattoo paper. Remember to print the words backwards! [Read more].

I’m please Pantone 156U was included─it’s one of my favourite Pantones─what’s yours?

★ For more information about the true meaning of Easter and why we celebrate it, check out Questions about Easter.

Credits: Image Copyright © How About Orange.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

I just stumbled across these wonderful Rainbow MacBook Keyboard Decals. I’m not sure this computer would now be appropriate when working on colour-critical designs, but they sure are sweet.

★ These can be purchased over at Artfire.com (not an affiliate link). Via Pareasa.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

Funnily enough, though, I’d still use a Pantone Mug (note to wife – you haven’t given me one yet!). There’s a whole range of these Pantone Universe™ Christmas Baubles to choose from, and I would imagine they would look great on the Christmas tree of any design studio across the globe.

Anyway, all joking aside, I think these are great. All us designers know how useful Pantone colours are, and I think it’s a good thing that Pantone licence quirky products like this. You can purchase these here if they pander to your liking (this is Not an affiliate link). What do you think?

Sample Pantone Christmas Baubles Gallery

Above: Pantone Universe™ Christmas Bauble | Purple 268

Above: Pantone Universe™ Christmas Bauble | Orange 165

Above: Pantone Universe™ Christmas Bauble | Green 377

Above: Pantone Universe™ Christmas Bauble | Yellow 14-0848

Credits: Found via Fubiz. Purchase via Play.com (Not an affiliate link). Pantone® & Pantone Universe™ are registered trade names and marks.

Above: Pantone Universe™ Christmas Bauble | Pink 18-2120

★★★★★ If you liked this post, I highly recommend Designer Pantone Mugs and Expresso Cups.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

I love gradients. I don’t like them when they’re used incorrectly, though. The very common “corporate fade” (or strongly-saturated colour fading into white background) on many business advertisements in recent years have given gradients a bad name. However, when used correctly, gradients can give a sense of added depth and 3D-appeal to both print and web works alike.

On that note, here is a list of articles, tutorials, tools, code and downloads to satisfy any gradient-induced craving you may have. Enjoy!

Articles:

Creative Curio → Taking Design from Good to Great with Gradients
Design Meltdown → Gradient Madness
Iit.Bloomu → Lesson in Gradients
Wipeout 44 → Gradient Mapping effect in Adobe Photoshop
Claudiamccue → Gradient Bug in Illustrator CS4
1stwebdesigner → 30 Logo Designs Using Gradient 3D Effects (3)
Shape Shed → Photoshop 101 – The Gradient Tool

Tools:

All Crunchy → The Amazing Gradient Generator
Patorjk → Gradient Image Generator
Gradcolor → Gradcolor Color Tool
Make Use Of → Online Gradient Image Maker
Gradient Maker→ Gradient Maker Tool

Tutorials:

Layers Magazine → Gradient Overlay
Graphic Tutorials → Adobe Illustrator CS4 Gradient Tools
PC and Web → How To Create A Cool Glossy Shiny Web 2.0 Heart in Photoshop
Vectips → Quick Tutorial: Adding Gradients to Text
A List Apart → Super-Easy Blendy Backgrounds
Vectorials → Quick Tutorial: Gradient Strokes
Digital Media Net → Transparent Gradients in Adobe Illustrator
Khulsey → Creating gradations with Adobe Illustrator’s Gradients & Blends
Vvector Diary → 13 Amazing Gradient Mesh Tutorials
Graphic Design Employment → Illustrator Gradient Mesh Tool – Creating Realistic Vector Art
Photoshop Digest → Gradient Navigation Bar
Veerle’s Blog → Elegant gradient ribbon in Illustrator

Coding/Web:

Planetozh → PHP and GD : Emulate Gradient Fill
Web Source → Create a Gradient Background Effect
Secret Geek → A Color Gradient Webservice
Design Detector → CSS Gradients Demo
Slayeroffice → Cross-browser gradient backgrounds without images
Herethere → Color gradient table generator
VRXnet → Color Gradient Generator
Ajaxian → CSS Gradients for All!

Downloads:

Free 4 Photoshop → Free Photoshop Gradients
Nanson’s Place → Nanson’s PSP 7 Gradients
Euphorish → Photoshop Tutorials: Free Web 2.0 Gradients (v1.0)
Lady Oak → Free Photoshop Gradients 2
Free Photoshop → Free Gradient Downloads
Tympanus → 5 free background gradients
Brushess → Gradient Shape Brushes
Brushes Download → Free photoshop gradients
Graphic Host → 1000 Free Gradients – Web 2.0 Gradients

If you don’t think this article deserves the title of been the Ultimate List of Gradient Resources, then let me know of any more great links below, and I’ll add them

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

Earlier this month, I wrote an article about simultaneous contrast entitled Amazing color effect that all designers should see. This new “illusion” is based on the principle of successive contrast, whereby the absence of a particular colour produces a visual perception of its opposite.

As a demonstration of this, please follow these instructions before triggering the “colour-illusion” that the image below can produce when looked at properly:

►► Stare at the white-cross in the centre of the Green & Yellow Union Jack Flag for a whole minute. Then, stare into the black-cross of the white image and blink a few times. All-going-well, you should see the Union Jack appear before your eyes—in the correct blue, white and red colors.

Did you see it? I’m not trying to indoctrinate every nation into Britishness here, it’s just that this is a great example of this “illusion” As a designer, such colour-displays and illusions really inspire me—and I love to experience both the limitations and wonders of our sight.

Knowing these things can aid every designer at some point. Please tell me if there’s any other illustrations of successive contrast you know of…

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

Displayed above is an amazing trichromacy colour effect that all designers should see. If you take a look at the X’s, they both look as though they are different colours. However, they’re not. The colours are exactly the same tone:

Look at where both the X’s intersect at the middle-base of the image. You can see there that the ‘true colour’ is in fact a greyish-yellow tone (a mixture of the two colours used in the rectangles). This effect is based on a painting by Josef Albers.

To see something a little weirder, take a look at the second image I have devised, taking the effect one step further:

As can be seen, the horizontal bar appears to show a gradient, starting with yellow on the left, to grey on the right. However, as with the first image, the colour is a solid tone—not a gradient of two colours at all. If you don’t believe me, drag the images into PhotoShop® and whip out the colour-picker tool!

Why is this happening?

This effect is know as trichromacy, with the images above demonstrating simultaneous contrast. To cut a long story short, out eyes record colour in RGB—but none of us can image a yellowish-blue. Our brains therefore plays tricks on us, resulting in the effect/illusion.

I think knowing this kind of information about colour can be extremely beneficial to a designer. Colour theory is embedded in all we do, so it’s great to understand great effects like this to aid in design work. Knowing what colours will or will not work together can be imperative—especially in logo design.

I have written an article about metamerism with another colour-illusion there if this subject interests you. Do you know of any other great effect like this? Do you think knowledge of colour theory will aid in your design work?

If you liked this post, check out A Print Handbook for Designers.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

What are Colour Gamuts? Simply put, a Colour gamut is a whole range of digital Colour that are included in a color profile. Different gamuts contain varied subsets of different colours.

Now, this is a huge subject to cover, so instead of just trying to explain what they are, I will start by comparing two similar gamuts from two RGB profiles: Adobe RGB (1998) and sRGB IEC61966-2.1

Adobe RGB (1998)

Displayed below is a 2D image of the Adobe RGB (1998) colour profile. This is the type of image you’re going to see a lot of throughout this set of articles. Ignore the LAB colour letters (b+, a+, etc) and observe the colour and shape. Notice how all the colours shown radiate from white, denoting the additive colour model.

The next image (below) displays the same RGB gamut but in 3D. This is one of countless views that can be viewed with special software, such as PerfX Gamut Viewer or ColorThink Pro. As can be seen, the 3D view reveals more tones, hues and shades than the 2D version.

Each colour gamut shown is complete with a coloured-boundary, which indicates the extreme edge of the gamut in both 3D and 2D angles. This one, for example, shows this edge in Red.

Comparing Color Gamuts

Now we know what we’re looking at, I’ll start comparing the two colour gamuts. The larger gamut is a representation of the Adobe RGB (1998) colour profile, shown in RED. The smaller profile, sRGB IEC61966-2.1, is displayed in BLUE (just visible).

The next three images show varied angles of the two color gamuts…

Both gamuts displayed are visible at a medium opacity, so you can see both at once.

Notice that even though the Adobe RGB profile is generally larger, RGB 2.1 supercedes it in certain key areas of color…

These areas are primarily in the green/blue region of the gamut, shown above.

There you have it—the introduction to the series of articles about colour gamuts. It would be very hard to cover many aspects of the subject matter in one post, so Part Two will continue the journey shortly. Why not subscribe to my RSS feed so you don’t miss it?

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

The question “What are Colour Profiles?” is one asked by every designer in their early career or studies. The thing is, this is such a generic question, it really needs breaking down into three other questions. I will attempt to answer them below, but be aware that this is just a summary. Indeed, whole books are available on the subject of colour profiles, so there’s an awful lot of information to condense into this post…

Every image or file that is created in programs like Adobe Photoshop®, Illustrator® and InDesign® needs a color profile assigned or embedded in order for the software to display and print the image accurately. If no profile is assigned, or a ‘generic profile’ is used, results can be very unpredictable.

To clarify, here is a brief overview of the questions that relate to the use of colour profiles:

What are Device Profiles?

Basically, device profiles contain certain information pertaining to three variables regarding how a certain device (such as a digital camera) ‘represents’ colour. These variables are Color Gamut (colour & brightness), Dynamic Range (relates to the white point) and finally, the Tone Reproduction of colous.

For example, a device profile would be included in the software of a digital camera, scanner or desktop printer.

What are Profile Classes?

Profile Classes relate to the types of Device Profiles available:

★ INPUT PROFILES, which describe the ways in which Digital Cameras and Desktop Scanners capture color.

★ DISPLAY PROFILES, which describe the ways LCD displays display colors.

★ OUTPUT PROFILES, which describe color for printers and presses.

What are Document Profiles?

Document Profiles are ‘destination profiles’ that are assigned to a file after a conversion from a Device Profile (or source profile). For example, ProPhoto RGB Color Profile from Digital Camera (source) > Photoshop® File with Adobe RGB (1998) Profile (destination).

I realize that there is much information to cover on the subject, so this is just one of a series of articles about the subject of Color Profiles, Gamuts and Color Spaces. Why not Subscribe to my RSS Feed so you don’t miss the next article?

Next up is a more visually interesting post about  Color Gamuts. If you have any questions about this article, please feel free to leave your thoughts below…

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

I recently had a great discussion about the use an RGB colour setup when designing for CMYK print. I received various responses within my article Top Ten CD Cover Design Tips, whereby the talented designer’s Alex Charchar, LaurenMarie and Rob Cubbon joined the conversation.

I generally support the notion of designing in an RGB colour mode ― for print and web regarding imagery that is to be printed in CMYK. Some of you reading this may know what I’m talking about and agree wholeheartedly, yet I suspect that some of you would ask yourself:

Why would I ever design in RGB for printed material that will be printed in CMYK ― or even CMYKOG (Hexachrome®)?

Moreover, some may have heard about initially designing in RGB for print before, tried it ― and never did it again ― offering a statement such as this:

I tried designing in RGB ― but all the colours just turned out muddy when I converted it. That’s the last time I’m trying that again…

A valid point. But to prove my case, I will start at the beginning and explain why, in the majority of cases, I design in RGB in the initial design stages of print work. Of coarse I send my files off to the printers in CMYK, but this article is about how the initial file setup in an RGB colour profile can benefit designers.

You may ponder as to why anyone would design in RGB, when the final output is in CMYK. This is like saying:

Why should I mix the ingredients to make fresh cake, when I can go to the shops and buy one ready-made?

Well, the answer to this is quality. If you design in RGB, you have a larger colour gamut to work with, as well as many additional benefits:

Benefits of Designing in RGB

★ RGB File Sizes are about 25% smaller than CMYK

★ Many filters and functions are only available to use in an RGB colour mode in PhotoShop® and similar programs.

★ The RGB colour gamut is larger than CMYK

★ Working in RGB means that your images are web-ready with no colour conversion (as opposed to designing for print in CMYK and converting the colour to RGB for web-use).

To place the above list in a workable context, here is a simulation of how using RGB to design your printed material would have been more beneficial than CMYK (based on one of my previous comments in the aforementioned CD article):

…I setup my files as CMYK with a FOGRA 27 colour profile. After spending hours designing an 8-page CD Gatefold design, the client supplies me with some more photo files to be used. As they originated from a digital camera, they are in RGB. I place them in layers in Photoshop® and get to work. An hour later, I want to use certain filters on these layers — but I can’t, as many functions and filters are only available in RGB mode in PhotoShop®.

…After spending much work-around time editing these photos in separate RGB files and importing them back in, I transfer my PSD file onto my MacBook as I’m working on the move. As CMYK files are approximately 25% larger than RGB ones, my laptop starts to slow down, causing loss of productivity to myself.

…My client also informs me that this CD cover is to be used in an interactive digital booklet and used online in iTunes, etc. As the CMYK SWOP gamut is vastly smaller than the “additive” RGB gamut, some colour info will be lost on conversion to the “subtractive” CMYK one.

…Further down the line, I may also want to include images from my own scanner — again, from source RGB.

In conclusion, it’s always easier to work in RGB. Some colours may be lost when converting to CMYK, but that is what the “Preview in CMYK” option is for in PhotoShop®, so you can keep track of disastrous results from any conversions.

Are you convinced of the reasoning behind these benefits?  Next, I’ll take a look at the CMYK colour mode:

Benefits of Designing in CMYK

★ When designing in RGB, there will have to be a conversion to CMYK at a calculated time near the completion of an image. Sometimes, the colour of the image can change appearance due to this conversion. If you work directly in CMYK, there will be no such conversion ― and therefore, no colour loss.

★ er…

★ and….

Ok. That’s it. The only benefit (in most situations/generally) of working in CMYK is the colour control ― but a league of restraints counteracts this benefit.

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If you have any questions about this article, please leave your comment below. I know some of the termanology I have used may be unknown to some, so just ask-away ― I’m always glad to help out…

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall