the best free fonts the web has to offer

free fonts:
http://www.fonts500.com
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/category/fonts/
http://www.betterfonts.com/
http://www.dafont.com/
http://www.urbanfonts.com/
http://neatfonts.com/
http://creamundo.com/ (9800 fonts)
http://www.1001freefonts.com/
http://www.abstractfonts.com/
http://simplythebest.net/fonts/
http://openfontlibrary.org/
http://www.typenow.net/themed.htm (themed)
http://www.searchfreefonts.com/

free font managers:
http://www.adobe.com/products/atmlight/download.html (Adobe Type Manager Light)
http://www.linotype.com/fontexplorerX
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~scef/tft.html (The Font Thing)
http://opcion.sourceforge.net/ (Opcion)

identify a font:
http://www.identifont.com/
http://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/

type tester:
http://typetester.maratz.com/

brand names:
http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/

create your own font:
http://www.fontifier.com/
http://pentacom.jp/soft/ex/font/edit.html (FontEditor BitfontMaker)

got one to add? let me know in the comments!

adobe releases new creative suite 3 (CS3)

Largest Software Release in Adobe’s 25-year History Revolutionizes Creative Workflows

SAN JOSE, Calif. — March 27, 2007 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the Adobe® Creative Suite® 3 product line, a revolutionary offering of tightly integrated, industry-leading design and development tools for virtually every creative workflow. Adobe’s new Creative Suite 3 line-up unites the best of Adobe and Macromedia® product innovation to provide designers and developers with a broad spectrum of creative options for all facets of print, web, mobile, interactive, film, and video production. There are six all-new configurations of Adobe Creative Suite 3. These include, Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium and Design Standard editions; Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium and Web Standard editions; and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium (see separate releases). Rounding out the product line is Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection which combines 12 of Adobe’s new design and development applications in a single box—the most comprehensive creative environment ever delivered.

The majority of Adobe Creative Suite 3 editions will be available as Universal applications for both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs and support Microsoft® Windows® XP and Windows Vista™. Customers will experience increased levels of performance and speed running Creative Suite 3 natively on Intel-based Macintosh systems and the latest Windows hardware.

“Creative Suite 3 is the biggest launch in Adobe’s 25 year history and a milestone for the creative industry,” said Bruce Chizen, chief executive officer at Adobe. “This release reflects the powerful integration between Adobe and Macromedia and how our products bridge the gap between designers and developers. With new workflows that streamline collaboration and impact the development of rich content, designers and developers now have the creative license to engage audiences across virtually every medium.”

Adobe Creative Suite 3 (CS3) Home Page:
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/

Adobe Creative Suite 3 (CS3) Press Release:
http://www.adobe.com/…/032707CreativeSuite.html

web design cheatsheets

as a quick way to learn new programming languages, i find that cheatsheets are probably the easiest method. there’s nothing better than to have all the common commands right at your fingertips. while i’ve been hard-coding HTML and CSS for years, i find that these are still helpful to cross-check code with browser compatibility issues and remember those rare spare commands that can come in handy in a pinch.

so if you’re thinking about learning HTML, CSS, or any other web design language, check out the cheatsheets below to help with the most frequently used commands are:

http://www.ilovejackdaniels.com/cheat-sheets/

http://lesliefranke.com/sandbox/ref/htmlcheatsheet.html (PDF)

http://lesliefranke.com/sandbox/ref/csscheatsheet.html (PDF)

for those who want a more comprehensive resource, Visibone makes some awesome cheat sheets for HTML, XHTML, CSS, DOM, JavaScript, Font, Character, Color Charts, etc…

Style Chart
http://www.visibone.com/html/hscht_840.jpg

HTML/CSS Example
http://www.visibone.com/html/hxcht_840.jpg

microsoft expression – designer tools

these tools have been in testing for quite a bit, but just recently available to the general public. microsoft expression studio (web / blend / design / media) are a suite of applications directly competing against adobe’s creative suite. gone are the days of Paint and Publisher, now are the days of microsoft’s designer tools, aka expression studio.

this software suite goes above and beyond the adobe suite in regards to the capabilities of a single application. for example, with expression blend, one can edit code and graphics simultaneously to make a very clean and simple interface together. expression media can handle digital pictures, images, AND video, allowing for seamless editing, publishing and presentation capabilities. expression web has the ability to create standards-based web sites, css editing, rich data presentation, build web applications, and integration into server technology.

simply put, it’s a very impressive and competent design suite for the masses.

Microsoft Expression Studio

Better Designer Tools for Better End-User Experiences

Microsoft Expression takes your creative possibilities to a new level. The professional design tools and innovative technologies in Expression give you the flexibility and freedom to bring your vision to reality—whether you are designing standards-based Web sites, rich user experiences on the desktop, or managing digital assets and content. Expression Studio includes the following products:

Expression Web is a professional design tool to create modern, standards-based sites which deliver superior quality on the Web.

Expression Blend is the professional design tool to create engaging, Web-connected, user experiences for Windows.

Expression Design is a professional illustration and graphic design tool that lets you build compelling elements for both Web and desktop application user interfaces.

Expression Media is a professional asset management tool to visually catalog and organize all your digital assets for effortless retrieval and presentation.

Microsoft Expression – Designer Tools – Homepage

Microsoft Expression – Designer Tools – Examples (Customer Spotlight)

throwback icons… a blast from the past

i’m not sure when you jumped on the internet bandwagon, whether it was the late 90’s during the technology boom or just yesterday, but either way these icons from the late 90’s web design boom are sure to fetch a grin.

i was just having this conversation with some friends about this and back in the day in ‘96 it seemed everyone wanted their hand in the web design industry. but let me digress for a second. people… if there’s one thing you’ve got to understand it’s this – listen carefully – there is “web design” and then there is “everything else”. just because you can make your own web page it does not make you a web designer. “web design” is an art, hence the word design. it does not imply just a hyperlink and an image and the fact that you can publish it on a web host somewhere. good web design is about usability, accessibility, compatibility and legibility. it creates an emotion – a response, promotes interaction, uses progressive technology improve speed and efficiency, all-in-all to enhance the end user experience.

anyways, back to the point, here are some classic throwback icons that well… never get old.

go ahead, feel the nostalgia:

» Animated GIFs Collection