In love with Lynda

I was told about this site in a recent tutorial, and then again during our flash re-cap class. It is fantastic!

At the moment I have only completed some of the free tutorials but I will be signing up soon for some intensive courses.

I know my software skills need improving and although the Vis Com course has taught me loads about design (Grids, layouts, typography, colour etc) I don't think they've taught enough software skills. Of course, the argument is that students should use their own initiative to discover more and develop their own skills, and whilst I agree with this, I think the course could have done better than 2 x 1 hour lessons on Photoshop and Illustrator in the first year. And lets not mention the infamous Flash lessons!

Anyway, this is exactly what I've been looking for. An invaluable way of learning, and as someone who likes to learn visually, for me, it's perfect. I really feel I can now put all the theory of my course together with the practical skills from Lynda.com to push my skill set as a designer.

A wise investment?

A little bird told me that this book is an absolute beauty. A real essential for anyone in design. The grid is the most important yet least visible part of design. I felt like I could do with a little help in this area so I decided to invest. It's apparently quite hard to find, so when I saw it at the bargain price of *cough £36 cough* I grabbed it.

I'd like to say I found in a small independent shop in London, at the back of a dusty bookshelf, patiently waiting for me. But I didn't. It's not a very romantic way to buy books, but you can't beat Amazon for prices!

Looking forward to delivery.

More Panda For Ya

Stationary pack for Panda On A Bike is coming along nicely.

This is an early draft for some headed paper. We decided to not over cook it too much as it can look a bit desperate, like we are trying too hard.

Simple and clean was the idea and I think we are pretty much there. The type at the bottom needs to come down a couple of point sizes (currently 12pt) and the postcode is actually incorrect! We are thinking of putting a watermark of the logo in the centre of the page too, but it could look too busy.

Typeface is Myriad Pro for both the logo and for the address details.
Colours are:
Green: Pantone 13-0650
Grey: C:49 M:40 Y:44 K:5
Both at 90% Opacity

Panda graphic is 100% black at 85 % opacity

We will get some trial prints done next week before completing a compliments slip.