At a pivotal point in our creative career, of course starting out in the professional realm wouldn’t be as easy as it sounds; in general, everyone has to go through the same procedures when accepting a job offer. Those essential ingredients are: a crafted portfolio, a resume, and an interview to accommodate our talents.

I was browsing through Core77 channel and thought this seminar would be beneficial for students or recent grads to check out. It may not apply to what you do, but I think these people do give out a lot of good insights and tips to what the creative industry is expecting from a person.

Looking from left to right: Chelsea Vandiver (Ziba Design), Nick Oakley (Intel), Beth Sasseen (Nike), and Kirk James (Cinco Design); moderated by Carl Alviani (Coroflot.com).

Coroflot Creative Confab Panel Discussion P.1

Coroflot Creative Confab Panel Discussion P.2

If Tetris is the greatest puzzle game of all time, then I really don’t know how to describe “Wind and Water Puzzle Battles”. This game was originally created by two guys Yuan-Hsi Chiang and Yuan-Hao Chiang as a collaborative project, which later turned into a huge development for the GP2X console. The release of the game will be devoted entirely for the Sega Dreamcast console, however there might be a PC version coming out in future. The reason why the game is for the Dreamcast partly because the system best supports true 240p RGB which delivers the overall 2D arcade experience.

From a puzzle game viewpoint, I don’t think it’s too complex that everyone wouldn’t be able to play. The entire game is color coded which makes it simple enough to jump straight into the puzzle. It is somewhat similar to the classic Super Nintendo “Tetris Attack” except with an advance system. I like the fact how the creators treated their game like it was a project they did for fun and how they are proud to share what they have accomplished. I love puzzle games and I wouldn’t mind giving this a try anytime soon. Check it out!

For more in-depth of “Wind and Water Puzzle Battles”, please read the interview and check out their product by the following websites below:

Interview with Yuan-Hsi Chiang
Wind and Water Puzzle Battles
Yuan Works Development Blog

Idee Inc. is a company who develops a new visual search technology called Piximilar which allows users to analyze, index and search quickly and efficiently through vast image and video collections based on visual similarity.

This is an effective way to gather for inspirations or getting references for a creative project. Unfortunately the usage of Flickr is still in further development where it’s only dedicated to Alamy Stock Photography database at the moment. Maybe they will branch out in the future, but this is still an amazing invention. Come to think of this search technology synchronizes with Flickr somewhat, I am completely overwhelmed and would highly encourage all of you to give Multicolor Image Search a try.

Multicolor Image Search:

Multicolor Image Search Lab allows you to search up to 10 different colors from a palette with 120 different shades provided. Once a color is picked, it will then extracted the colors from 10 million of the most “interesting” Creative Commons images on Flickr or Alamy Stock Photography.

Visual Search Lab:

Visual Search Lab allows you to search with the use of keywords. Let say you’ll write in the word “red” it will then look up for images according to that particular word. When you click onto an image, another set of images similar to the one you have clicked on show up.

BYO Image Search Lab:

BYO (Bring Your Own) Image Search Lab allows you to upload an image or enter the image web address. Once the search process is completed, it will find similar images according to the algorithm of colour, shape, texture, luminosity, complexity, objects and regions.

I am so honored and excited to have the privilege designing for Mike LeBlanc at Holden Outerwear on a few freelance projects. Lately I’ve been tackling some of the banner designs and rack-top displays which will be used eventually throughout all of the shops. I can’t wait to see how the production will turn out; hopefully it will worth all of the efforts I have put in. I am not a snowboarder but as my creative ideas flow within the company’s brand, I think I’m somewhat being exposed to it now. When I first met Mike, I didn’t have a clue who he was until I stumbled across ridesnowboards.com and what do you know…this guy turns out to be one of the best in North America.

Check out the interview> here
Check out In Short: Not Just Snowboarding> here

Holden definitely has its own unique style and people really don’t have to be snowboarders to wear the brand; it’s the fabrics they used is what makes it stand out. Hemp and Twill Herringbone are not commonly used for snowboarding clothes, but it’s durable and looks good on people; plus everyone can save the environment by wearing it. It’s all reproduced from recyclable materials! Take a few minutes to check out the website: www.holdenouterwear.com

For this entry, I would like to give my special thanks to Scott Zergebel and Mike LeBlanc for keeping me busy throughout this time. Thanks again!