No Need to Play it Safe Anymore

From David OReilly.com:

This is a subject which crosses my mind the more I see new animation work coming out. I’d like to share it in the hope its of use to image makers and viewers alike.

Everyone in the business of filmmaking is constantly aware of the rule relating to the Safe area (also called TV cutoff). All design for television is made with an invisible border which clips about 20% of the image. It’s a long established rule that all movement must take place within one border, and all text within another.

This rule is, in my view, completely outdated and unnecessary, and may be officially forgotten about immediately. It simply lacks any practical application considering how most video is viewed today, digitally, online and on modern screens.

It's funny how people follow rules without understanding them. Most electronics companies have stopped making CRTs a few years ago.

Von Glitschka design tips

Every once in a while I check Von Glitschka's blog at http://www.artbackwash.com/.

He has a new website about illustration design that your students might learn from-- http://www.illustrationclass.com/.

There's a recorded session he did for the HOW Design Conference that has some great lessons and examples. Unfortunately he just uploaded a SWF of his presentation and an MP3 and you have to play them together. It's tricky but, worth the effort.

Control and Creativity: A Match Made in Heaven

From CreativePro.com:

Organization, structure, and habit aren't threats to your artistic freedom. In fact, they're tools that help you carve out the time you need to let your creativity fly.

Some people think of creativity and organization as opposites. But Mark McGuiness believes that concentration is a must for the best creative work. If you don't consciously make time for being focused, you're vulnerable to interruptions that can stop your creative flow mid-stream.

In his book Time Management for Creative People, he goes into the theory and practice of maintaining your creative focus under pressure, and of managing the information flooding in on us all.

There's a link to download the entire 32-page book.

TypeTalk: Text Fonts versus Display Fonts

From CreativePro.com:

Q. How can I tell the difference between a text font and a display font? Are there any rules for their use?

A. The bad news is there is no easy, automatic way to tell if a typeface was originally intended for text or display usage. But the good news is no matter what their intended usage, many fonts can be used for both.

Click the link above to read more.