Dabbling in HDR Imaging

Inspired by Michelle’s post about HDR imaging and seeing it in action on other blogs, I’ve always wanted to take and make my own.

Finally with the help of free HDR imaging software Qtpfsgui, I’ve started. And I’m definitely enamored. Although not all of them are as crazy and storybook-like as this:

Now if you’ll please excuse me, I’ve got a lot more dabbling and learning to do!

Q&A With Designer Michelle B.

I love picking people’s brains. Especially creatives working in such a fast-paced and multicultural place like Dubai. Luckily, I’m very fortunate to have a few gracious creatives open up to me about themselves, their lives, and work for this blog.

There are a few more feature posts in the works, but we’ll kick off with an utterly frank and open Q&A featuring the double-threat of talented graphic designer and model-esque beauty, Michelle Brosius. I can’t believe she took the time to write out all her answers – I am therefore eternally grateful.

You can see her portfolio (soon to be updated, I can’t wait!) here.

(Photo by Tusk Imaging)

Please tell me a little bit about yourself.

My name is Michelle Brosius and I’m from Denver, Colorado. I moved to Dubai in December 2007, and have been sweating ever since. I usually say I moved out here to build my career, which has definitely rung true, but I moved out here mostly because of a boy — isn’t that nearly every girls’ excuse?

Have you done a lot of traveling? If so, where? What is your favorite place to visit and where are you hoping to go next?

I can count the number of countries I’ve been to on one hand (Mexico, France, Oman, St. Vincent and the Grenadines). Of the places I’ve been I would say that I prefer the United States, particularly Colorado. I just can’t deal with even the tiniest amount of humidity. It is kind of strange then that I am in Dubai, eh? I am hoping to travel to Santorini, Greece sometime this summer to escape the heat.

What was it like coming to Dubai when you did? What brought you here in the first place?

I took a non-stop flight from the US to Qatar — that’s 12 straight hours. I had never been on a plane for so long and I really don’t travel well. When we arrived in Dubai all 6 of our bags had been lost. I had vital things in there, like my portfolio, which could not be reproduced.

Why Mimic Print Publishing Online?

Call me old fashioned. Or perhaps I’m being too trendy.

But I don’t understand why an online magazine would want to mimic print formatting for its online issue, when it might as well be the print version? Even if it does have a search function, links, and clipping tools, shouldn’t there be more progress? Y’know, that over-used word “innovation”?

I’ve been reading The New York Times online for years now. Thankfully, nytimes.com doesn’t try to be something it’s not. As for all my other online needs, there are tons of other tools, sites, blogs, and communities which offer me so much more. When or if I want to read a virtual book or magazine, I’ll invest in a Kindle.

Until then, I’m hopeful some creative and effective solutions will be found. Surely someone will create/borrow/steal a way for traditional publishers to go online with “page turning” content and formats for readers (and thus drawing in advertisers) without having to resort to limited virtual effects. Wait, doesn’t that already exist?

*Sigh*

I’m going to go check my RSS feeds to catch up the latest news, gossips, and trends.

Indie Fixx: Feed Your Soul

Screenshot taken of Indie Fixx

The latest Indie Fixx: Feed Your Soul downloads are up! If you’re new to it, you can catch up on the goodness that is free art here.

I first read about it over on A Print A Day (back in February? hiding in the middle of a bigger post) – a beautiful and whimsical yet understated design blog. Check out the free downloads from Yasmine too.

“Dirty Sexy Downturn”

Hurray for Adwomen ME’s next Trend Talk! Details taken from adwomenme.com:

“Dirty Sexy Down Turn” by speaker Julia Foster, Director of Business Development at TBWA\RAAD.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Location: Shelter
Street: Street 318, Al Quoz, Dubai

RSVP online at Adwomen Middle East’s website or via Facebook. More info and directions on both.

Image taken from event page here on Facebook.

Tone & Style Teasers: Chocolate!

With Easter behind me… and way too much chocolate in my belly, I found myself writing some quick tone and style teasers. Just for fun. The first sentence in each pair is the simple idea. The second sentence is well, you’ll see.

What do you think? Have any more chocolate-themed teasers to add?

She likes chocolate.
Foil wrappers lay scattered in her wake as another chocolate Easter bunny fell victim to her addiction.

Chocolate is good for you.
Chemical compounds in cocoa called polyphenols are naturally occurring anti-oxidants with multiple, direct, and important health benefits.

Buy yourself some (nice) chocolate.
After a long day, there is no better way to pamper yourself than by indulging in a decadent melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate truffle dusted ever so gently with dark cocoa powder.

PhotoFunia & Expatify.com

Partial screenshot from Expatify.com

I first saw PhotoFunia mentioned over here at Expatify.com.

The way Expatify.com used it as their new “branding campaign” is completely fabulous!

It makes me think… are there any programs or free web tools that allow for instant (or nearly instant) branding for commercial use? Not just “for fun” and personal use. And would such a tool actually save designers time when putting together pitches and presentations?

Let’s All Get More Sleep

Ever visit copyblogger?

Well Brian Clark of copyblogger is a man after my own heart. He shows us how sleep is essential to the creative process! Check out his piece “How to Sleep and Daydream Your Way to Success“.

Adwomen Middle East

Female?
Female in advertising?
Female in advertising in the Middle East?

Adwomen Middle East is for you! Go check it out. You can even join the group on Facebook.

I wish I had known about this a few days earlier so I could have attended the first meetup at TheJamJar. Hopefully there will be more.

Looking For Words

Although a lot of ads I see out here have very little copy, it doesn’t mean copy isn’t important.

As far as I’m concerned, FREE, NEW, and especially NOW OPEN are simple words and phrases worth their weight in gold. And any sort of combination of the word SALE and say, half-off, part-, or end-of-season are magic to many an ear.

So it was a disappointment to see the new corner store and laundromat near me lacking any sort of signs saying “YES WE’RE OPEN!”

I already knew by it’s location that it would be more convenient for me to shop there. Every day we were hoping for a sign. Just one word of encouragement. Instead the result was a sort of “store opening watch” between my neighbors and me. We would constantly evaluate from a distance whether or not the store would be open soon based on the number of boxes outside, lights on, and type of people inside. Believe me, this type of small talk gets old. Thankfully the store finally opened without any fanfare. Or signs. I found out it was open by walking in one day and asking.

It is a simple yet tangible reminder that copy is not dead. Simply because people still read. We LOOK for words, phrases, and signs just as much as they look for a great image. We need them to communicate our every-day-needs just as much as our business needs. Email, Google, RSS, Twitter, Wikipedia anyone? As long as people still need and want information, copy will never go out of style.