If you’re looking for a new way to show off your artwork, then consider one of Photobox’s acrylic print options. More details can be found below or at http://www.photobox.co.uk/shop/wall-decor/acrylic-prints.

PRESS RELEASE

Photobox bolsters Wall Décor range with stunning acrylic prints

Customers demand modern ‘masterpiece’ for home interiors

London – 20/10/2008: – Photobox, the UK and Europe’s number one online community for photo printing and personal publishing, has today announced the extension of its Wall Décor range to include Acrylic Prints, perfect for budding interior designers and photographers who want to make the most of their photos. Now anyone can turn their favourite photos into impressive pieces of modern art.

Eight popular sizes are available, from 30cm x 20cm right up to 110cm x 47cm. The image is printed on 220gsm professional photographic paper and affixed to 8mm thick diamond polished acrylic.  The prints are delivered pre-drilled with stylish aluminium fixings.

Priced at £69.99 for a single 30cm x 20cm print, and with volume discounts, these wall mounted acrylics are versatile enough for any interior space and an easy way to bring living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens or offices to life.

Mark Chapman, Managing Director at Photobox confirmed “Our customers have been crying out for acrylic prints as a modern day alternative to canvas prints and poster prints. When we asked customers to rank our product suggestions these shot to the top of the list. ”

To find out more go to http://www.photobox.co.uk/shop/wall-decor/acrylic-prints

Just a quicky for all you online community art addicts KONVULSE IS BACK ON LINE!

Like a long lost friend, Konvulse reintroudces all its familiar charm and great design examples.

Visit www.konvulse.com to get in touch.

On sale today, Apple has released a new line of MacBooks and MacBook Pro’s. They are made from aluminium for a stronger notebook, featuring larger trackpads, back-lit LED screens, and a lot more stuff - it’s another digital revolution!

press release

Apple has announced a new line of MacBook and MacBook Pro notebook computers with lighter, stronger casings, powerful graphics, and larger trackpads that offer gesture-based controls more advanced than the iPhone’s.

In addition, they announced an updated version of the Mac Book Air and introduced their first Cinema Display with LED back lighting.

One may be wondering how the gadget industry was going to continue to produce thinner, lighter electronics that can still endure daily use.

Apple has unveiled their answer to that thought with a new line of notebook computers crafted with a “breakthrough” design that sculpts computer casings out of solid blocks of aluminum.

The new technique begins with block of aluminum weighing more than two and a half pounds and machines it down into a light frame or “uni-body enclosure” weighing just under a quarter of a pound that will deliver very thin laptop computers with a strong ability to endure the strains of daily use.

In explaining the process, Apple emphasized that all left-over aluminum from the process is gathered and recycled.

The new MacBooks and MacBook Pros, which go on sale tomorrow and include a new set of graphics chipsets from NVIDIA are also equipped with larger trackpads that offer a glass surface engineered to provide “optimized friction” for touching and instead of the traditional button for clicking on icons and menu options, the new trackpad uses the multi-touch controls made famous with the iPhone, except that users can now incorporate up to four fingers to perform gesture-based controls.

One additional innovation is the Mini Display Port, a smaller connection that will be used by all future Apple computer products as a way to connect to monitors and displays.

The smaller port allows Apple to continue to keep the designs of their computers smaller and thinner while allowing them to also connect to a wide variety of display types.

Today, Adobe has announced the immediate availability of the whole caboodle -  Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium, Design Standard, Web Premium, Web Standard, Production Premium and Master Collection. Got the dosh? Well what are you waiting for!

Also today,new versions of many, many CS4 programmes. See bottom of press release.

press release

The combination of Creative Suite and the new capabilities of Adobe Flash® Player 10, also available today (see separate press release) deliver new levels of creativity and expressiveness across media channels. Designers using the Adobe Creative Suite 4 product family will gain unprecedented creative control using the new expressive features and visual performance improvements in Adobe Flash Player 10 to deliver breakthrough Web experiences across multiple browsers and operating systems.

“Creative Suite 4 and Flash Player 10 introduce vital time-saving features, new levels of integration and the jaw-dropping innovations our design and developer customers expect from us,” said John Loiacono, senior vice president, Creative Solutions Business Unit at Adobe.

“CS4 continues to fulfill our promise to customers to break down more barriers in cross-media workflows, while also providing new services and collaboration tools that help them manage complex client demands.”

As part of the CS4 product launch, the largest in Adobe’s history, also available today are brand new versions of Photoshop® CS4, Photoshop CS4 Extended, InDesign® CS4, Illustrator® CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver® CS4, Fireworks® CS4, Contribute® CS4, After Effects® CS4, Adobe Premiere® Pro CS4, Encore® CS4, Soundbooth® CS4 and Adobe OnLocation^TM CS4.

www.adobe.co.uk

If, like us, you’re struggling to think gift ideas for your family, then here are some suggestions for any photographers in your life. David Noton presents a new DVD, book and series of greetings cards using his stunning landscape images. You cna find out more at www.davidnoton.com or in the press release below.

PRESS RELEASE:

LEARN LANDSCAPES WITH DAVID NOTON THIS CHRISTMAS

Stuck for ideas this Christmas?  Trying to think of the perfect gift for the partner that has everything??  Well look no further… here is a trio of perfect gift ideas for any budding landscape photographer.

Learn the art of Landscape Photography from David Noton with his inspirational DVD Chasing the Light – the essential guide to landscape photography.

Chasing the Light is a 90 minute programme, from one of our best known and respected landscape and travel photographers.

During the DVD, David explores the essentials of location photography, location finding, previsualisation, understanding natural light, composition and colour. The film examines the development of a photographic vision with practical hands on demonstrations, insights and examples at a number of inspiring locations - from a misty dawn at Glastonbury to the cliffs of Lands End.

Or if a beautiful book on photography is more your thing, then how about a signed copy of David’s stunning debut book – Waiting for the Light.

Whether an experienced photographer, or just starting out – this book is a perfect gift for any photography enthusiast.

Not only does the book contain more than 150 pages of stunning images from around the globe, David’s ‘photo journals’ provide a riveting insight into the challenges of working in different environments, from deserts to rainforests, cities to mountaintops.

Developing a photographer’s vision is a journey that never ends; one that changes how you view the world.

Both David’s book and DVD embark the reader on that voyage with images from all corners of the globe, supported by practical observations, stories from behind the lens and anecdotes from a lifetime of photographic travels.

Or if it’s a stunning stocking-filler you are after, how about set of Greetings Cards – featuring David’s awe-inspiring landscape images.  There are 5 cards in each set, and four sets to collect – Environments, Tranquillity, Dawn to Dusk and Coastal.

All items are available online at www.davidnoton.com.  Chasing the Light DVD is priced at £19.99 (+P&P), signed copies of Waiting for the Light book are £22.50 (+P&P) and each set of greetings cards is £10.00 (+P&P).

And as a SPECIAL OFFER, anyone purchasing the book online at David’s website before 25th December will also receive a free set of greetings cards worth £10.00.

The Olympus mju 1040 Crystal is a flashy new addition to their mju compact cameras. If you think cameras need to be classier, this is probably for you. It’s a limited edition model and the 98 crystals, yes 98!, are on the lens cover… (wolf-whistle)

press release

Bring more glamour into your life with the Olympus µ [mju:] 1040 Crystal. Based on the recently-introduced µ [mju:] 1040, this special limited edition model includes distinctive CRYSTALLIZED^TM - Swarovski Elements that can easily be put on the camera’s sliding lens barrier. The ultra-slim µ [mju:] 1040 Crystal represents a perfect fusion of cutting-edge technology and sophisticated design - and will turn heads wherever it is taken.

With the µ [mju:] 1040 Crystal, Olympus sets a new benchmark for elegance among digital cameras. A glittering arrangement of 98 CRYSTALLIZED^TM - Swarovski Elements is included to adorn the protective sliding lens barrier. The camera’s Midnight Black colour provides a dramatic backdrop that makes the dazzling adhesive elements even more eye-catching.

But the µ [mju:] 1040 Crystal is not only a treat to look at. The 3x zoom camera delivers both style and substance. It’s just as much at home capturing the glamour at a fashion show as it is taking pictures of friends and family while on a weekend getaway. Stunning 10 Megapixel results are a cinch to attain. In addition to various scene modes, the innovative Intelligent Auto mode automatically distinguishes five of the most commonly used scenes and adjusts settings accordingly. Meanwhile, Face Detection Technology enables up to 16 people to be recognised by the camera to ensure human subjects are always perfectly depicted. The ensuing shots can then be viewed on high-contrast 6.9cm/2.7″ HyperCrystal LCD. And providing flexibility for image storage, the µ [mju:] 1040 Crystal is compatible with xD-Picture Card as well as - thanks to a bundled attachment - microSD Card.

The Olympus µ [mju:] 1040 Crystal - main features:

* Miniature 3x optical zoom (38-114mm*) in super slim metal body (just 16.5mm at its thin end) to capture everything from great scenes to exciting close-ups
* 10 Megapixels to make poster-size prints
* The easy way to perfect images - Intelligent Auto mode detects the five most commonly used scenes and adjusts settings, focus and exposure automatically
* Advanced Face Detection of up to 16 persons for perfectly focused and exposed faces, plus correct exposure of other image areas
* 6.9cm/2.7″ HyperCrystal LCD for excellent previews even in brilliant sunlight
* Digital Image Stabilisation for less blur even in low light
* TruePic III image processor for faster image handling and higher image quality
* Liven up your memories with movie recording with sound (up to VGA resolution at 30 fps)
* xD-Picture Card and microSD Card compatible

This limited edition camera will be available at the end of October for an approximate price of £175. For more information please visit the Olympus website.

Learn from the Photoshop pro’s - they aim to attract hundreds of designers, artists and the aspirational among us to a conference spanning three continents!

Not to be missed, Adobe Max collaborates with ADIM conferences to educate and remould the future of their industry. The famous voices from Adobe plan to hit San Francisco, California from 16 November til 19 Nov, and then head off to conquer Europe.  In those couple of days, top designers, photographers and more will take advantage of the intense instructional courses to learn pro skills and network with many others.

check out max.adobe.com for more.

More updates from the world of D&AD. The first monumental steps have been taken for the 2009 event, as the Jury Foremen have been decided. These leading creative specialists will ultimately decide who shall succeed in the next installment of the D&AD Awards.

For release:    Thursday, 9 October

D&AD Awards 2009 Jury Foremen Announced

The line up of Jury Foremen for the D&AD Awards 2009 was announced today. The awards recognise the best work in advertising and design from around the world each year.

Foremen are leading creative specialists and play a vital role in upholding D&AD’s high standards of judging.   They each lead a jury of creatives who will decide what work represents the best of the year and will be included in the D&AD Annual. They will then decide what work sets new benchmarks of creativity and is therefore worthy of a D&AD Yellow Pencil.

D&AD President, Garrick Hamm said, “Judging the best work of the year is a tough job.  I’d like to thank our Foremen in advance for upholding D&AD’s standards, encouraging lively debate and breaking up the fights – all in the pursuit of the best work.”

Eligible entries will be accepted from 15 October until 21 January 2009. Work entered before 19 November will receive a 10% discount.  Judging takes place from 20-24 April in London and the winners will be announced in June.

The campaign, created by TAXI Canada launches on 15 October at www.dandad.org/awards09. Details of D&AD jury members will be released from next week.

D&AD Awards 2009 Foremen

Ambient:  Mike O’Sullivan, Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand
Art Direction: Grant Parker, DDB London
Book Design: Damon Murray, Murray & Sorrell FUEL©
Branding: Glenn Tuttsel, The Brand Union
Broadcast Innovations: John C Jay, Wieden & Kennedy
Digital Installations: Matt Clark, United Visual Artists
Direct Advertising: Ian Haworth, WWAV Rapp Collins
Environmental Design: David Adjaye, Adjaye Associates
Graphic Design: Alan Dye, NB:Studio
Illustration: Marion Deuchars, M Deuchars
Integrated: Mark Cridge, glue London
Magazine & Newspaper Design: Andy Cowles, IPC Media
Mobile Marketing: Dan Rosen, AKQA
Music Videos: Lizie Gower, Academy
Online Advertising: Dave Bedwood, Lean Mean Fighting Machine
Packaging: Bruce Duckworth, Turner Duckworth
Photography: Tony Chambers, Wallpaper*
Posters: Tay Guan Hin, JWT Singapore
Press: Rosie Arnold, BBH
Product: Sebastian Conran, Conran & Partners
Radio: Ralph van Dijk, Eardrum
TV & Cinema Advertising: Mark Waites, Mother London
TV & Cinema Communications: Grant Gilbert, Double G Studios
Typography: Nick Bell, Nick Bell Design
Viral: Michael Lebowitz, Big Spaceship
Websites: Mauricio Mazzariol, Big Man
Writing for Advertising: Will Awdry, Ogilvy & Mather London
Writing for Design: Adrian Shaughnessy, Shaughnessy Works

Further press information: Maeve O’Sullivan, T: +44 (0)20 7840 1125, E: maeve@dandad.co.uk

ENDS

D&AD Awards 2009 Foremen Quotes

Ambient – Mike O’Sullivan, Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand
“The first time I experienced the honour of D&AD was getting into “the book” when I was a 23 year old art director in London.  So to be foreman of a D&AD jury 18 years later is pretty damn flattering.  Ambient is the category without borders. I’m looking forward to seeing where
the industry is going to take it to next. Roll on April 09.”

Book Design – Damon Murray, Murray & Sorrell FUEL
“In the face of technology, the value design can bring to publishing is more important than ever. Quality work can elevate the humble book into more than the sum of its parts - an object of integrity. I hope to see work that engages with content, and utilises a knowledge and
aptitude for the materials that make books such unique objects.”

Branding – Glenn Tuttsel, The Brand Union
“I am delighted to be Foreman of the 2009 D&AD Branding Jury, especially in Garrick Hamm’s presidential year. He champions uncompromising excellence in design and I intend to bring this rigour to the judging.”

Broadcast Innovations – John Jay, Wieden + Kennedy
“Telling a great story in a suprising way, disrupting our daily media and using technology to advance both creativity and community are the daily staple of global youth. Now let’s see if we “professionals” have kept up. Or will this be the greatest generation gap ever?”

Environmental Design – David Adjaye, Adjaye Associates
“I’m delighted to have been asked to be the jury foreman. I’m looking forward to seeing the entries and having the chance to debate the issues and opportunities around environmental design with my peers. Public, community and workspace design have such a direct impact on people’s lives, so I think it’s vital to recognise, reward and encourage good work in such an important category.”

Graphic Design – Alan Dye, NB: Studio
“D&AD has always been, and continues to be, the most prestigious and sought-after design and advertising award in the world.  The cream always rises to the top and I’m confident with this year’s smaller and select group of talented, diverse and experienced judges, we will recognise this. I’m thoroughly looking forward to being depressed by some fantastic piece of work that I wished I had thought of myself.”

Illustration – Marion Deuchers, IPC Media
“I am very excited at the prospect being the forewoman of the Illustration jury at the D&AD Awards 2009. I hope there is an exciting selection of work to look through and to have some lively debates with a diverse group of creatives about the use of illustration in the Design and Advertising Industry.”

Music Videos – Lizi Gower, Academy Films
“Music Videos have long been at the forefront of creativity across all fields of film making. They have traditionally provided an environment where talent is nurtured and where imagination is allowed to run free. As budgets continue to contract, maintaining that environment and creating work that meets D&AD’s exceptionally high standards of technical and creative skill becomes ever more challenging and impressive. Nevertheless as Forewoman of the Music Videos Jury, I look forward to seeing the same levels of inspirational individuality, and executional excellence that have always distinguished D&AD winning work.”

Online Advertising – Dave Bedwood, Lean Mean Fighting Machine
“I won a Student Pencil in 1998. I got drunk and managed to bite the award and kiss my kebab. Obviously I didn’t tell D&AD this detail before they asked me to be foreman of the Online Advertising Jury. I am honoured to be entrusted with such a task. My aim is to help traverse the fine line between the discipline required to uphold the legendary standards, whilst still celebrating the great work that is undoubtedly produced in this area.”

Photography – Tony Chambers, Wallpaper*
“Photography’s reach has never been broader, covering the worlds of Advertising, Editorial, Journalism and Art. It’s a great time to be an eye-witness to what should be the cream of the crop.”

Press Advertising – Rosie Arnold, BBH
It is a huge honour to be asked to be forewoman of the Press Jury – a medium I love, being emotionally involving and so reliant on art direction – my core skill and passion.

Posters – Tay Guan Hin – Regional Executive Director – JWT Singapore
“Poster advertising use to be quite a traditional medium but it’s fast changing into a fascinating category. Even the 2-D format is becoming increasingly innovative with the use of technology.  Recently, we’ve seen millions of colors change on buildings through the use of
a computer, shadows of dragons projected on walls, and even an exploding billboard!  In the end, only the simplest ideas delivered with wit will find their way to the top.”

Radio – Ralph van Dijk, Eardrum
“I am so sick of namby pamby radio. Come on! We’ve heard it all before. Any work worthy of a Pencil challenges, inspires and kicks you right in the ‘I wish I’d done thats’. It is high time  radio had a piece of that action.’

‘I’m thrilled to be Foreman at D&AD and I’ll be encouraging my fellow judges to recognize and reward the IDEAS that move the game on; new formats, odd lengths, unexpected voices, and beautifully crafted pictures.  There are so many ways we can moved by what we hear, yet we barely scratch the surface on radio. Bring on the work that goes straight to our soul and bask in the well deserved glory.”

TV & Cinema Advertising – Mark Waites, Mother
“It’s an honour to be chosen as the foreman for next year’s TV & Cinema Jury. A D&AD Award is so special because they’re so tough to win. It’s my job to make sure the 2009 jury don’t make it any easier”

TV & Cinema Communications – Grant Gilbert, Double G Studios
“Being foreman of the newly named TV & Cinema Communications Jury 2009 is an amazing honour. This year it’s all about visual communication in all it’s forms, not just graphics. Today we are seeing many designers, directors and studios using a number of different mediums to convey and promote their ideas and for me this is a very exciting time.

Viral – Michael Lebowitz, Big Spaceship
“I’m tremendously excited to chair the D&AD Viral Jury. I’m looking forward to spirited discussions as we contend with the challenge of rewarding great creative work in a category that in many ways is defined by effectiveness.”

Website – Mauricio Mazzariol, Big Man
“One of the most diverse categories, Websites has been the heart and soul for many great campaigns. Next year we will celebrate the few ones that can make a difference and push the industry to a higher level. I’m looking forward to see what’s coming next.”

Writing for Advertising – Will Awdry, Ogilvy & Mather London
“The visual tricks available to advertisers are now more clever, more magical and more freely available to all.  More than ever, it is writing - however compressed - that reveals the real soul of an ad, deciding whether the reader should trust its message or not.  I think our jury will be looking for great writing that makes that difference.”

A completely free and unique service has become available online for making your own virtual environment.

Photosynth, born in August, is an intelligent photomerger where images can be fused together to create a 3D realm. A couple of pictures to hundreds of a particular scenario, can be uploaded to photosynth.com and it’ll make a virtual environment in-front of your eyes. It maps the images of the scene by recognising data points, and gives you the chance to see each image seperately, spinning the environment around.

When all your images are uploaded you can zoom in/out, and even walk around the virtual environment created with total free reign!  What’s particularly fantastic about this, is that Photosynth retains original Jpeg quality. I know what thinking - 400 jpeg pictures would take a lifetime to stitch together and buffer, but it doesn’t! Photosynth only uses what’s neccessary to fill your screen resolution without compressing the Jpeg.

Currently only available for Windows XP and newer, the boffins at Photosynth are working on a Mac compatible version. Images need to be Jpeg, but it doesn’t compress for the Synth.

Check their website, where you can login for free to create your own photosynth, or view the gallery of hundreds of synths created by existing users.  www.photosynth.com

It seems that Adobe CS4 is already expanding its creative horizons with its inspiration of innovative software extras. This time we’re talking about the soon to be released Adobe Configurator 1.0.

Essentially this software will permit users to create and organise their very own tool palettes and arrange applicable functions into task-based chunks. Actions, file options such as saving file formats and exporting files and even video footage are applicable and accessible with a click of a button. Creation is made easy through simple upload utility, selecting Window> Extensions> Select Model in Photoshop CS4.

Through this software Adobe hope to harness the wisdom of the Photoshop Nation and in turn maximise the productivity across vertical industries including medical, creative, architecture etc. It will also serve to improve concise edification through resourceful tutorials and within in-house training. It’s surely set to revolutionise the digital software market.

Shipping sometime this October, if interested keep an eye out at the official Adobe Labs website.

www.labs.adobe.com