One of the best free stuff Graphic Designers can find on the Web for free are high resolution backgrounds and textures. Long gone are the days when you had to buy very expensive CDs in order to obtain good quality backgrounds for your design projects.
By that time, marble and granite textures were all the rage. But now it seems that paper is becoming the new king. Lots of Web Designers are embracing the delicate look of a piece of paper with a subtle shadow. And if it is torn or folded, much better.
This gallery shows some paper backgrounds I collected from different sites. If you would like to add some nice effects to some of these textures, you can read a tutorial I wrote about creating paper folds and creases to paper textures in Photoshop. Read the rest of this entry »

There is no point in arguing that today computer games provide an ever evolving visual experience. This seems to have no foreseeable limit as computers hardware continue to improve. But many of you will agree that no matter how well packaged are those computer games, there is no comparison with the almost magical experience of unboxing a high quality, well crafted and beautifully designed board game. Carefully designed counters, beautifully illustrated cards, comprehensive writing pads and, most important of all, astonishing game boards, are the instruments that game board designers and graphic artists have been using to provide a pleasant gaming experience. This article is a showcase of the wonderful work made by some popular board game graphic artists. In this selection, no evaluation of the quality of the gameplay itself has been made, just the visual design has been considered. It wouldn’t have been possible to gather this information without the help of BoardGameGeek forum and its helpful members. If you are serious about board gaming, you will be pleased with the vast amount of information, lists, ratings and recommendations you will find there. Read the rest of this entry »

So you think you are a perfect geek just because you have a talking Homer and a Space Invaders mug at your desk? No chance.
Maybe a lava lamp or a not-so-exclusive Google mini-fridge? Meh, go away.
To become a respectable geek you should do more than buying used schwags on Ebay for your cubicle. Not to mention that hanging solar system built using old cds is your one way ticket to nerd city.
To become a real geek, just take a look at this gallery of uber-cool home and office appliances, furniture and other decorative elements built just for this purpose.
Most of them are very expensive, and some others are just prototypes. But that shouldn’t be an obstacle in you search for a better geekness. Just be sure to get them now that you are single and free. No wife in her right mind will allow any of these at home! Read the rest of this entry »

According to Wikipedia, the term Designer Toys is used to describe a toy or other collectible work of art made in limited quantities, usually by designers or graphic artists. The most common materials used to manufacture these toys are vinyl and plastic. Plush dolls are also a frequent designer toy expression medium. Metal, wood and cloth are occasionaly used. These toys are consumed predominantly adults and very rarely by kids due high prices and the lack of a naive aspect. Sometimes, a designer toy is produced in an all white version just to let designers and artists create their own exclusive version of the toy, just like a work of art. These versions are usually very expensive for a toy. This list gathers a sample of some of the most famous designer toys manufacturers. Also, at the end of this article, you will find an useful list of shops, designers and other designer toys resources. If you have a link that you think it should be mentioned on this article, just share it with us in the comments section. Go and have some fun with these designer toys! Read the rest of this entry »

There is an underlying web world about papercraft modeling. It is not visible. It is hard to find. And, in many cases, the web sites are in a language that most of us can’t read. But, believe me, it is huge. And it is not about printable cards or paper dolls, or even scrapbooking. It is about stunningly good looking three dimensional paper models: Gadgets, toys, characters, cars, robots, spaceships, airplanes, buildings and even working photo cameras. You name it. This list gathers some notable models available for download. But this is just a small sample. At the end of the article you will find links to paper modeling books, paper models directories, paper modeling software and tutorials, and paper models blogs, which in my opinion are the most important of all, just because they are constantly updated and the owners seem to have access to information that’s very difficult to find. Grab your X-Acto knife, some glue and start building now! Read the rest of this entry »

Lists have been around for a long while and are a hot topic today. I’ve even compiled some myself for my Photoshop Roadmap blog. They are perfect candidates for massive and steady traffic, and they are an interesting, if not fun, reading. If the compilation has been made with care and lots of research, the result may become a mini or micro web site itself. That’s the reason why content writers (artists and designers in this case) should become aware of this situation. Creating outstanding content will increase their chances to be part of a list. Read the rest of this entry »