For most of us, one of the first tools we use for drawing pictures (beyond the crayons and finger paint of our early days) is a pencil. Be it a lead based or colored pencil, these analog artist tools are still a big staple among artists and designers alike. As designers many of us keep our handy notebooks and pencils within reach for the beginnings of any new designs or projects that come our way. Today’s inspirational collection…

I see more and more devices that have a pixel ratio bigger than 1.5, even 2. My Galaxy Nexus for example has a pixel ratio of 2 and so do the latest versions of the iPhone and iPad. Retina display seems to be the next evolution and next challenge for us as designers.

Editor’s Note – Though Noupe is affiliated with Smashing Magazine, this piece is strictly the opinion of the author.

When I was first contacted with a reviewer’s copy of The Smashing Book #3 I was both excited, and a little bit terrified. I was extremely excited to get a peek at the book before its release, and to get my hands on the content I had eagerly been anticipating since the project was announced…

In the following Adobe Illustrator tutorial you will learn how to create a semi-realistic lifebuoy graphic. We’ll start with a bunch of concentric circles and some basic vector shape building techniques. Once we create the starting shapes we’ll continue with some Pathfinder options, several Warp and Gaussian Blur effects plus some basic masking techniques.

Poster design is a true art form. Often the best posters will be bold, eye catching and visually intense, yet minimal and elegant at the same time. As with logo design, often a great poster will be great for what it omits, as well as what it features.

The new Smashing Books have finally arrived—freshly printed, neatly packed and ready to be shipped to you, our dear reader. We believe this is by far the best book we’ve produced so far. We are very proud and excited, and the initial verdict has been thoroughly positive, yet in the end it’s up to you to decide how valuable and useful they really are. Get your books now!

It’s not good for you but every now and then, we all hit the drive thru for something quick and easy. The golden arches are the most recognized brand in the United States, if not the world. When my family moved from Brooklyn to St. Louis, my three-year old son saw the St. Louis arch and yelled, “McDonalds!”

There are many photographers who aim for vibrant explosions of color in their work. Using these bright hues to connect with and move the viewer. Though there are some who take a different path for reaching their audience, however color still plays a part. They actually process the photos to lower the saturation of color and thereby enhancing the mood and tone of the pictures.

Using watercolor in web design is not a new thing that designers are implementing, by any means. In fact, it has been used in web design for years. In no small part due to the fact that digital watercolor effects are inspiring and attention-grabbing, and on top of that, easy to achieve. In this collection, we have put together some beautiful examples of watercolor effects in web design for your inspiration.

When creating websites you have to consider a great deal of aspects such as usability, visual-appeal, the technical side, and last but not least, brand building. Many successful and profitable businesses have been tackled this brand building with user-centric website design. They do this for different reasons, but the one that tends to draw most brands in this direction, is the way it often helps build a relationship with their users.

For so many of us who work in the realms of the digital, our creative processes can often come up a bit lacking in the physical, hands-on area. Which is why it can often be so inspiring to take a virtual tour of traditional artists’ works whose processes are often extremely hands-on. These creative constructions possess more than just mere physical presence, they possess the energy of all the pieces that brought them together. Collage is one of those artforms.

Many artists, whether digital or traditional find much inspiration in music. It often serves as a great mind opener for large amounts of creativity and style to be ushered in. Some artists believe music helps them to see shapes and colors, and often offers up feelings and emotions to help them execute their work more proficiently. Which is why it’s best to try to listen to music that you know will get your mind going.

In the following Adobe Illustrator tutorial you will learn how to create a semi-realistic oil barrel illustration. First, we’ll use several rectangles along with some professional pixel perfect vector shape building techniques to create the starting shapes. Next, we’ll break some of the starting shapes apart as needed using a bunch of Pathfinder tools.

There are often times when we look at the world around us seeking inspiration, and that inspiration takes us into grand explorations of larger than life worlds and themes. And then there are some who take their inspiration and go in a different direction. They work on a much smaller scale. One-twelfth to be somewhat precise.

Life tends to move by at a pretty fast pace, this is not a secret to most. However, there are a few who have yet to discover that often times, at night, life moves even faster. When photographers turn their lenses towards the majesty that life has to offer for moments to capture, it is often stunning. When those lenses capture the night-life, the results tend to be purely magical.