Computer Arts issue 149

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One of the best questions I’ve been asked since we came up with the new look for Computer Arts a few issues ago is: what happens to the pieces of paper that get punched out of the cover by the die-cut? In all honesty I have no idea.

But it’s a great question, and it reminds me of the marketing strategy of a doughnut company over in Canada called Tim Hortons. Knowing that at some stage every kid asks their parents what happens to the dough from the hole in the middle of a doughnut, the company introduced Timbits. These round pieces of dough are allegedly the bits that get left out – an elegant design solution…

Over in the serious world of design, asking about the bits that get left out is a more than worthwhile pursuit. It’s something we love doing here on Computer Arts. It’s really inspiring when you see a brilliant piece of work unveiled. We always catch ourselves standing in awe and admiring how well the creatives behind it have evoked the response they were after. Of course, you don’t get to see the bits that were left out. What was the original colour scheme?

Why was that illustrator used? How was the copy simplified? Are penguins in fashion, or not? What did the client change? How much was the photo been retouched? Those are the things you don’t see in the final work. By talking to so many top creatives about how they work, we aim to bring you some of the bits that get left out here in Computer Arts.

Going back to our die-cut, it would be a lot of fun to know what you think the spare pieces of cover could be used for. Drop me a line with your suggestions.

Garrick Webster
Editor, Computer Arts

IN THE MAG

FEATURES

Nando Costa
Brazilian print and motion graphics artist

Rebrand my city
How to create an identity for an urban centre

Profile: Modern Dog
Seattle-based agency with a sense of fun

Round Table
Is software killing creativity?

Profile: Luke Prowse
Ex-Research Studios designer goes it alone

Extreme graphics
Design for adrenalin sports

TECHNIQUE

Digitise a font
Create a complete font from a sketched outline

Brief Encounter
Bourn Design show how they created an identity for a Mexican restaurant

Master Bézier curves
Perfect control over the Pen tool in Illustrator

Inspiration Workshop
Paul Holland responds to our brief

Using snippets
Build a library of InDesign elements

Creative lighting with 32-bit colour
Colour fades in After Effects

Scribble effects in Illustrator
Natural media in vectors

Get to grips with Processing
Create abstract illustrations

Flash characters
Make your creations interactive

NEED TO KNOW

Special finishes
Choose the right finish for your print project

Stock libraries
Make the best use of online resources

Young web designers
Why they are up to the job